NDLEA intercepts N5 billion drugs, destroys 20,234kg cannabis in Osun

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drug consignments worth more than N5 billion at seaports in Lagos and Rivers States and destroyed 20,234 kilograms of cannabis in Osun State.

Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

The seizures and arrests covered a series of operations conducted between September 27 and October 2, including activities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos seaports and several states across the country.

N5 Billion port drug seizures

Some of the biggest seizures were recorded at the Apapa and Tincan Island ports in Lagos, as well as Onne Port in Rivers State. At Apapa Port on September 3, officers recovered 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million from a container shipped from Bangkok, Thailand.

At Tincan Island Port on September 29, operatives recovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg from a container originating from Montreal, Canada, with the consignment valued at more than N3.8 billion.

At Onne Port, officers also recovered 22kg of Loud and 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg, with both consignments valued at N833.2 million.

• “NDLEA operatives at the Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne seaports have intercepted container consignments of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis and codeine-based syrup worth over N5 billion, following months of intelligence and tracking the movement of the shipments from their ports of origin.”

The operations involved joint examinations with Customs and other security agencies following intelligence and monitoring of the affected containers.

NDLEA raids across multiple states

Beyond the port seizures, NDLEA operatives carried out several operations involving cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol and other substances across Osun, Plateau, Lagos, Kogi and Edo states. In Osun, operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farmland in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area on September 30.

The agency also recorded arrests and seizures at the Lagos airport and in other parts of the country during the period.

• At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, 38-year-old Philip Tunde was arrested on September 27 with 4.80kg of cocaine concealed in shoes and travel bags while preparing to board a flight to Milan, Italy.
• In Plateau State, operatives arrested Agbo Dennis, 41, after recovering 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg, while fugitive Idris Mohammed Kurra was arrested six years after jumping bail in a case involving 198kg of skunk.
• In Lagos, officers recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol from an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, while another operation led to the recovery of Colorado cannabis and methamphetamine.

Operations in Kogi and Edo states also resulted in seizures of methamphetamine, cannabis, Loud, Colorado, tramadol, Swinol and Molly, alongside the arrest of suspects.

NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain action against drug trafficking networks.

Recent drug seizures show scale

The latest seizures come against the backdrop of several large drug recoveries recorded by the NDLEA in Lagos in recent months. In mid-August, the agency destroyed 329,865.585kg of assorted illicit drugs and psychotropic substances with an estimated street value of N301.06 billion in Lagos.

• Other operations have also produced seizures running into billions of naira, highlighting the volume and value of illicit substances intercepted by the agency.
• In one set of operations, NDLEA intercepted cocaine, cannabis and opioids worth an estimated N10 billion at Lagos ports and courier facilities within a single week.
• The agency also raided three illicit drug warehouses in Lagos and recovered opioids valued at N16.9 billion, according to a disclosure by Babafemi on April 29.
• In another Lagos operation in May, NDLEA operatives uncovered 2,326kg of Loud cannabis valued at more than N5.8 billion.

The latest interceptions at Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne ports therefore add to a series of major seizures recorded by the agency as it intensifies operations against illicit drug trafficking.