How Coffee Sachets, Books, Vans Became Tools For Drug Smuggling—NDLEA
Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd), on Sunday disclosed that a total of 29 suspects were arrested in coordinated anti-drug operations carried out across Lagos, Oyo, Borno, Jigawa and Kwara states.
The operatives intercepted cocaine, cannabis, tramadol, ecstasy and other illicit substances between early December 2025 and January 2026.
The operations yielded no cash recovery, according to the agency, but resulted in the confiscation of over 1,049 kilograms of assorted drugs, including 31.5kg of cocaine and more than one tonne of cannabis (skunk), alongside large consignments of tramadol, ketamine and ecstasy concealed through different trafficking routes.
The agency Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi added that operatives also recovered a total of 32,000 tramadol and diazepam pills during the period under review.
Investigations showed that traffickers relied on multiple smuggling models, including concealment in ship compartments, courier parcels disguised as coffee sachets and book consignments, as well as road transportation using commercial vehicles and private vans to move drugs across state lines and toward international destinations.
The first recorded incident in the review period occurred on Sunday, December 1, 2025, when NDLEA operatives recovered 238.50kg of skunk from a suspect’s residence in the Asadam area of Ilorin, Kwara State, following intelligence on local distribution activities.
On Tuesday, December 30, 2025, officers in Jigawa State arrested Bilya Ibrahim, 39, at a motor park in Hadejia while attempting to transport 140.8kg of skunk in 260 compressed blocks from Taraba State to Nguru, Yobe State.
The same day in Oyo State, NDLEA operatives apprehended 65-year-old Fatima Ilori, also known as Mama Kerosine, a long-wanted drug distributor in Ibadan, alongside Olusanya Abosede, 35, after linking them to 238.4kg of skunk seized earlier.
Further seizures followed on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, when 32,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam were recovered from Abubakar Rabiu, 32, at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State.
On Thursday, January 1, 2026, operatives in Lagos recovered not less than 400kg of skunk and a van at the Mobolaji Johnson area during a surveillance-led operation, although no arrest was immediately announced.
Drug trafficking through maritime routes came to light on Friday, January 2, 2026, at the GDNL Terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos, where NDLEA officers uncovered 31.5kg of cocaine hidden in Hatch 3 of the merchant vessel MV Aruna Hulya, leading to the arrest of the ship’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 21 Indian crew members.
On the same day in Borno State, operatives intercepted 9,150 ampoules of tramadol injection along the Maiduguri–Gamboru Ngala road and arrested Isa Mohammed, 26, while Musa Samaila, 30, was apprehended at Biu market with 34,000 tramadol capsules.
Earlier courier interceptions in Lagos on December 24 and 29, 2025, had also exposed attempts to traffic ketamine, ecstasy and tramadol pills concealed in coffee sachets and book parcels destined for Zambia and the United Kingdom.
Commending the officers involved, Marwa urged NDLEA commands nationwide to sustain operational pressure on drug networks while intensifying preventive advocacy to curb drug abuse across communities.
How Coffee Sachets, Books, Vans Became Tools For Drug Smuggling—NDLEA is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
