NDLEA arrests Italy bound businessman with 4.8kg cocaine, seizes N5bn drugs
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a 38 year old businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine allegedly concealed in shoes and travelling bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The suspect was arrested on September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
According to a statement by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives recovered 16 parcels of cocaine concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, alongside 195 wraps hidden in the railings of four travelling bags.
The substance tested positive for cocaine and weighed 4.80 kilogrammes.
During interrogation, Tunde reportedly claimed he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was meant for delivery to a partner in Italy.
He also reportedly said the money was raised from compensation he received after sustaining an injury while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne ports have intercepted consignments of Loud cannabis and codeine based cough syrup following intelligence led operations.
At the Apapa Port in Lagos, officers recovered 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124 kilogrammes from a container originating from Bangkok, Thailand.
At Onne Port in Rivers State, operatives recovered 40 packs of Loud weighing 22 kilogrammes from one container and 109,600 bottles of codeine based cough syrup weighing 16,440 kilogrammes from another.
The agency said the consignments seized at Onne and Apapa had a combined street value of N833.2 million.
At the Tincan Island Port, NDLEA operatives recovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5 kilogrammes, with an estimated value of over N3.8 billion.
The agency also reported the destruction of 20,234 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of farmland in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State.
Other operations across Lagos, Plateau, Kogi and Edo states resulted in additional arrests and seizures, including tramadol, methamphetamine, Colorado, Molly and cannabis.
The NDLEA also announced the arrest of 47 year old Idris Mohammed Kurra, who had allegedly been at large for six years after jumping bail in a drug case before the Federal High Court in Jos.
Kurra had been facing trial over alleged possession and dealing in 198 kilogrammes of cannabis.
The agency said its commands across the country also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnel nationwide to sustain intelligence driven efforts against drug trafficking networks
