NDLEA Uncovers N6.2bn Drug Haul Concealed in Soap, Abandoned Shipments at Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a major breakthrough in its anti-narcotics operations after intercepting illegal drugs worth more than N6.2 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Among the seizures was a large quantity of captagon tablets, a stimulant drug notorious for its links to criminal networks in parts of the Middle East. The drugs were allegedly hidden inside locally produced bathing soap and smuggled into Nigeria from Ghana.

NDLEA operatives arrested a 49-year-old suspect shortly after his arrival in Lagos from Accra. During a search, officers reportedly uncovered tens of thousands of captagon pills carefully concealed within soap bars. Investigators said the consignment had an estimated street value running into billions of naira.

In a separate operation at the airport, anti-narcotics officers also recovered millions of opioid tablets from multiple unclaimed cargo shipments. The consignments, which arrived through different international routes, were placed under surveillance before being examined and seized by authorities.

The agency said the confiscated opioids included large quantities of Tramaking and Tapentadol, drugs often abused for non-medical purposes. Combined, the recovered shipments weighed several tonnes and were valued at more than N4.6 billion.

Beyond the airport seizures, NDLEA operatives carried out raids in other parts of the country. In Lagos, a Nigerian returnee from the United States was arrested while allegedly attempting to collect a package containing a synthetic cannabis product imported from the United Kingdom.

Similar enforcement actions in Rivers, Ondo and Delta states led to the recovery of cocaine, heroin, cannabis and large volumes of opioid tablets, with several suspects taken into custody.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised officers involved in the operations and stressed the need for continued vigilance as traffickers adopt increasingly sophisticated methods to evade detection. He warned that criminal networks are now disguising illicit substances in everyday consumer goods in an effort to move drugs across borders undetected.