…intercepts Loud, Tramadol in teddy bear, Vitamin C bottles
…arrests couple with 1,125 rounds of live ammunition
By Nkechi Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled an online drug distribution network that packaged illicit substances as imported Christmas cookies and snacks, leading to the arrest of two ringleaders during a sting operation in the Lekki area of Lagos.
In an official statement, the Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the syndicate, run by Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi, had imported consignments of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and a variety of colourful designer sachets printed with pictures of cookies and snacks. These were used to disguise and package the psychoactive substance in retail quantities for distribution through a dedicated WhatsApp platform.
Following actionable intelligence on their operations, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 22 November 2025, stormed the group’s apartment on Ojulari Street in the Ikate area of Lekki. A large quantity of the designer packaging and 5 kilograms of Canadian Loud were recovered at the point of arrest, effectively shutting down the network.
In a separate operation in Lagos, operatives on Thursday, 27 November, arrested a 38-year-old drug kingpin, Philip Ucheka, while he was taking delivery of 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6 kilograms in the Ladipo area of Mushin. Three delivery vehicles were seized from him during the arrest, marking another major blow to the supply chain of imported cannabis in the state.
NDLEA’s interception efforts extended to courier companies, where on the same day, 27 November, officers discovered 100 grams of Loud concealed inside a teddy bear shipped from Thailand. At another logistics firm on Friday, 28 November, a consignment of 548 capsules of Tramadol hidden in Vitamin C and magnesium bottles and destined for the United Kingdom was also intercepted.
Across the states, the Agency intensified operations with significant seizures. Along the Lagos–Ibadan expressway in Oyo State, officers on Saturday, 29 November, arrested 55-year-old Wasiu Kareem with 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 1,500 pills of Co-codamol and 9,900 capsules of tramadol.
In Ondo State, seven suspects were arrested on Monday, 24 November, after NDLEA operatives raided the Ipe Forest in Akoko South East, recovering a massive 3,077 kilograms of skunk. Those arrested included John Ede, Ede Ndubuisi, Ikenna Abe, Eze Chukwuma, Maduabuchi Odo, Nnaji Chudubem and George Okowor.
The operations continued in Kogi State, where 49-year-old Anthony Sylvester was intercepted along the Okene/Lokoja highway on Wednesday, 26 November, transporting 649 kilograms of skunk in a truck. Similarly, at the Seme Special Area Command on Friday, 28 November, operatives raided a warehouse at Ashipa in the Seme border area of Badagry and arrested 33-year-old Abubakar Shuaibu with 487 blocks of skunk weighing 243.5 kilograms.
The Agency also recorded arrests in Kano and Bauchi States. In Kano, officers nabbed 47-year-old Tsalha Alasan along the Zaria–Kano road with 137 kilograms of skunk on Monday, 24 November. Three other suspects Godspower Appeal, 50; Ernest Upong, 55; and Godday Chukwudi, 38 were arrested on Wednesday, 26 November, with 322 blocks of skunk weighing 209 kilograms at Fanshanu Village in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State. A black Toyota Highlander with registration number ABJ 533 EA, used for transporting the consignment, was also recovered.
Along the Abuja–Jos highway, 51-year-old John Ekojo was arrested on Saturday, 29 November, with 210.15 kilograms of skunk. In another significant interception on the Abuja–Kaduna highway, a couple, Abdullahi Abubakar, 45, and Jamila Abdullahi, 35, were arrested with 725 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed inside a sack of maize. At the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate on Friday, 28 November, 20-year-old Awwal Sabiu was equally arrested with 400 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, bringing the total ammunition recovered to 1,125 rounds.
Beyond operations, NDLEA Commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation programmes across schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities. Recent sensitisation activities included lectures at Government Junior Technical School, Kofar Kudu, Kano; Bright Eyes International School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; sessions with dock workers and clearing agents at Tincan Port, Lagos; Legacy International College, Nsukka, Enugu State; and Seatos School, Ikorodu, Lagos, among others.
While commending officers and men of DOGI, Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Seme and Bauchi Commands for their successful operations, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), encouraged them and their counterparts across the country to sustain the Agency’s balanced, intelligence-driven approach to drug control.
