NDLEA arrests Lagos real estate boss, seizes 89kg of Canadian Loud

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a Lagos-based real estate developer and CEO of Trans Fortress Global Resources, Kolapo Raji, for alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, explaining that Raji had been under surveillance since 2025 and was arrested shortly after returning from the United Kingdom.

According to Babafemi, the 57-year-old suspect was picked up at his Safe Court Apartment residence in Ikate, Lekki, on Thursday, February 12, 2026. A search of his home led to the recovery of four large bags containing parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 89.20 kilograms.

A 2024 model Toyota Hilux vehicle was also recovered from him at the point of arrest.

“In his statement, he claimed he got involved in the illicit drug trade after financing some consignments for his overseas associate,” Babafemi said. “He said hundreds of millions of naira paid to him as profit by his associate motivated him to establish his own independent drug distribution channel.”

In a separate incident at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, NDLEA operatives arrested a 41-year-old Ivorian, Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Michael, who was attempting to smuggle cocaine out of the country.

Babafemi stated that Gohouri was intercepted during outward clearance for an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan via Addis Ababa. A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, and he later excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms.

The suspect had arrived in Lagos from Milan on January 17, 2026, and moved between Lagos and Enugu for three weeks before travelling to Kano, where he ingested the cocaine in his hotel room. He was expected to be paid 5,000 euros upon successful delivery of the drugs in Milan.

Babafemi noted that Gohouri, a native of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, claims his father is Ivorian while his mother is from Enugu State. He applied for asylum in Italy in 2013 and holds a resident permit valid until May 25, 2026, as well as a Nigerian National Identification Number under the name Anunwa Onyinye Michael.

In other operations, NDLEA operatives arrested Ugwuja Kingsley with 56 kilograms of skunk at Agbara on Thursday, February 19, and Ekwe Arinze with 76 kilograms of the same substance at a motor park in Oshodi on Tuesday, February 17.

At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, joint examinations by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies uncovered 170,900 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in a container.

Along the Okene Lokoja highway in Kogi State, operatives recovered 7,300 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden inside two sound systems during a search of a commuter bus on Sunday, February 15. A follow-up operation in Zuba, Abuja, led to the arrest of two suspects, Ezenma Kingsley, 26, and Ezeja Anthony, 29.

In Ondo State, NDLEA officers arrested Bright Timothy, 28, with 195 kilograms of skunk at Iju forest, while Godwin Bernard was arrested with 198 kilograms of the same substance during raids on forest enclaves.

In Bauchi State, 936 kilograms of skunk was seized from Yahaya Adamu Gimba, 48, in Azare town, Katagum Local Government Area. An additional 85.8 kilograms was recovered from Gimba and three other suspects in the same area.

In Delta State, 37 kilograms of skunk was seized from Mgbeme Ejeoma, 34, in Ughelli. Meanwhile, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 1,266.85 kilograms of skunk on three farms in Owan West Local Government Area. Two suspects, including a 68-year-old woman, Evelyn Ogenewu, and Friday Iruoje, 43, were arrested, with 23 kilograms of processed cannabis recovered.

The NDLEA has intensified nationwide operations against drug trafficking syndicates, targeting airports, land borders, seaports, and highways, as well as real estate businesses allegedly used as fronts for drug storage and distribution.