In a sweeping nationwide operation, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of cocaine ingeniously concealed in religious books, alongside massive seizures of cannabis, methamphetamine, heroin, and other illicit substances across multiple states.
A statement released weekend by the agency’s director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the cocaine consignment, consisting of 20 parcels weighing a total of 500 grams, was hidden within 20 sets of religious books destined for Saudi Arabia.
The illegal shipment was uncovered Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at a courier company in Lagos during a routine search by officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
On the same day at another Lagos-based courier company, NDLEA operatives also intercepted five parcels of “Loud”,a potent strain of cannabis, hidden in a carton arriving from the United States. The seized cannabis weighed 2.8 kilograms.
Across other states, the agency arrested several suspects and recovered large quantities of drugs, including 557.2kg of skunk, 5.6kg of methamphetamine, and 29.8g of heroin from a house raid in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, 1,100kg of skunk from a van in Lagos, and 31,950 pills of tramadol and diazepam from a suspect’s hideout in Zaria, Kaduna.
In Kebbi, 97kg of skunk was found hidden in sacks of charcoal, while raids in Anambra, Osun, and Edo states led to further seizures of cannabis, skushi, and the destruction of two cannabis farms covering over one hectare.
At Lagos’ Tincan Seaport, two suspects linked to a 2023 cannabis shipment from Canada and local drug distribution were also apprehended.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying its crackdown on drug trafficking networks nationwide.
Babafemi reiterated that the agency remains committed to rooting out drug traffickers and disrupts the distribution networks across Nigeria.
The NDLEA continues to strengthen its efforts to combat the drug menace as part of its broader mission to safeguard the nation’s health and security.