NDLEA Intercepts Drugs Concealed in Snails, Electrical Bulbs, and Clothes Bound for UK, US, and DRC

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered several attempts to smuggle illicit drugs out of Nigeria, concealing them in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothing bound for the United Kingdom, United States, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The agency made the seizures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a courier company in Lagos. Two suspects connected to the operations are now in custody.

One of the suspects, Boladale Riliwan, a cargo agent, was arrested on October 7 after NDLEA officers found 15 parcels of skunk (a strong cannabis variant) hidden in 10 large rechargeable electrical bulbs meant for export to the DRC.

Similarly, Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a 48-year-old UK-based Public Health Assistant, was apprehended at the Lagos airport’s Terminal 2 on October 12 when 2,300 tramadol 225mg tablets were discovered concealed in frozen snails inside her luggage en route to Manchester.

In another operation on October 16, NDLEA officers foiled an attempt to send 810 bromazepam pills to the United States, cleverly hidden in women’s clothing.

Elsewhere, in Adamawa State, Bello Buba was arrested at an NDLEA checkpoint in Yola South with 38,270 tramadol tablets stashed in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his car. Investigations revealed the drugs had been smuggled in from Benin Republic.

The agency also destroyed 53,250 kilograms of skunk cultivated across 21.3 hectares of cannabis farms in Ilawe Ekiti and seized an additional 1,140 kilograms during raids in Ekiti and Ondo States. Several young men aged between 20 and 27 were arrested in connection with the operations.

Further recoveries were made in Oyo, Ogun, Imo, and Enugu States, where suspects were caught with large quantities of skunk and opioid tablets. In Lagos, NDLEA seized 117 kilograms of skunk from a Mushin-based dealer and intercepted 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup imported from India at Apapa Port, during a joint operation with Customs officers.

NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives for their vigilance and reiterated the agency’s commitment to a balanced approach in drug control.

> “Our officers must sustain this momentum across all Commands. Enforcement and public sensitisation must go hand in hand,” Marwa said.

As part of its ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, NDLEA continues to conduct awareness programmes in schools, workplaces, and communities across Nigeria, reinforcing its focus on both prevention and enforcement.