NDLEA Arrests Lagos Businessman Over 3.3kg Cocaine Hidden in Food Cartons Bound for UK

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Lagos businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, over an alleged attempt to export 3.30 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside cartons of foodstuffs bound for the United Kingdom.

The 55-year-old clothing trader, who operates at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on Thursday, July 23, 2026, following the interception of the illicit consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a day earlier.

The agency disclosed the development in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the statement, investigators initially arrested three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—who handled the shipment.

Their interrogation led to the arrest of Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the cartons to the cargo agents for export.

Further investigations identified Chinedu as the alleged mastermind of the drug trafficking syndicate, leading to his arrest while he was reportedly attempting to ship another cocaine consignment to the United Kingdom.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo after intercepting a 2.80kg consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis.

The agency also recorded another major seizure at the Lagos airport, recovering 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg from a shipment imported from India aboard an Air Maroc flight.

NDLEA estimated the street value of the consignment at over ₦2.2 billion, describing the seizure as one of the significant pharmaceutical drug interceptions recorded in recent months.

The operation, according to the agency, followed actionable intelligence processed before the cargo arrived in Nigeria.

Babafemi added that the latest seizure came shortly after NDLEA officers intercepted another shipment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap intended for export to the United Kingdom through a courier company in Lagos.

The anti-drug agency said investigations into the various cases are ongoing as it intensifies efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and outside Nigeria.