By RhemDy News
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, over possession of a large consignment of cocaine concealed in false bottom of her luggage while heading to Beijing, China.
The suspected was intercepted aboard a Qatar Airways flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
Iwebema, who claimed that she travels to China to buy items for sale in Nigeria, was arrested on Sunday June 21, 2026 at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the Lagos Airport following credible intelligence.
According to a statement by NDLEA's spokesman, Femi Babafemi, a search of Peace's check-in luggage led to the discovery of four large parcels of cocaine concealed in false bottom professionally created in her bag.
The statement revealed that the parcels of the class A drug found hidden in the bag have a combined weight of 7.5 kilograms.
In another major interdiction operation, efforts by operatives of two Special Operations Units of NDLEA tracking and monitoring a container laden with 195 big sacks of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis from Toronto, Canada, for over four weeks paid off on Wednesday June 24, 2026 when a total of 4,959 kilograms of the illicit drug consignment worth N12, 397,500,000 in street value, were recovered.
The recovery was made during a joint examination of the shipment by officers of the Apapa Strategic Command of the NDLEA, men of Nigeria Customs Service, other security agencies and ports stakeholders at the Apapa ports complex, Lagos.
The large illicit drug consignment which was loaded into a 40ft container comprising a Ford and a Nissan vehicle came under NDLEA tracking and monitoring system since April 25, 2026 when it arrived Toronto, Canada via truck, Montreal via rail on April 29, Tanger Med Morocco on May 11, loaded on another vessel on May 23 before arriving Tincan Port Lagos on June 4 and discharged there on June 5 before the container eventually left Tincan and arrived Apapa Port on Monday June 22.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in FCT Abuja in a joint operation with their colleagues in Anambra, unraveled a syndicate which plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers in motor parks.
Their trick came to the fore when operatives in Abuja intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine in a Sienna bus coming from Nnewi, Anambra State at Abaji, FCT on Saturday June 20, 2026.
During a search of the bus, a waybill package was recovered containing whitish substances suspected to be methamphetamine concealed inside a black nylon bag, which was also put into another sack of clothes with the phone number of the receiver written on it.
A follow-up operation conducted same day led to the arrest of the supposed receiver of the waybill, Mrs. Gloria Peter, at Utako Motor Park.
However, Mrs Peter vehemently denied knowledge and ownership of the package in her luggage which led to a swift arrest of the loaders of the Sienna bus in Nnewi where one of them revealed that the drug package was put into the woman's bag by him on the directive of the driver of the bus Abdurrazak Isah.
"His revelations made the driver to open up and mentioned one of his passengers, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the actual owner of the drug.
"Onyebuchi was then picked up at Utako, FCT during another follow up operation. The illicit consignment weighed 467.7grams," Babafemi said.
Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of NDLEA on Saturday June 27, acting on credible intelligence, arrested a 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos with 209.50kg Scottish Loud, a strong strain of cannabis while being taken to Enugu State.
Also, two nationals of Benin Republic identified as Hossou Tito Julien, 30; and Mancellim Dossou, 19, as well as a Nigerian Jackson ThankGod have been arrested by NDLEA operatives following credible intelligence.
The suspects were nabbed on the Mile 2 bridge when their truck conveying illicit drug consignment from Togo through Benin Republic was intercepted on Sunday June 21.
A thorough search of the truck led to the recovery of 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg, concealed in a fabricated compartment of the vehicle.
Two suspects - Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo were also arrested along Lagos –Ibadan expressway on Friday June 26 while transporting 118kg skunk among other legitimate goods in a truck, which left Ebute Ero area of Lagos Island, heading to Onitsha, Anambra State.
In another operation in Lagos, Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa'adullah, 53, were arrested same Friday June 26 at 15 Olumokun Street, Amukoko, with 28.8 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.
Investigation revealed that the principal suspect, Helen, stores her illicit consignments with the second suspect, Rashidat, from where she distributes to her customers.
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