By SUNTV Global Channel
June 28, 2026
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a businesswoman attempting to smuggle 7.5 kilograms of cocaine to China and uncovered a criminal syndicate accused of secretly planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting interstate passengers.
The agency disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, describing the operations as part of an intensified nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, 38, was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.
A detailed search of her suitcase reportedly uncovered four large parcels of cocaine weighing 7.5 kilograms, concealed inside a professionally constructed false compartment. Investigators said the suspect claimed she regularly travelled to China to purchase goods for resale in Nigeria.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives uncovered a syndicate allegedly involved in hiding illicit drugs inside the luggage of unsuspecting passengers travelling on commercial buses.
The investigation began after officers intercepted a commercial bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, to Abuja, where they recovered 467.7 grams of suspected methamphetamine concealed inside another passenger’s bag.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the intended recipient, loaders at the Nnewi motor park, the bus driver, and another suspect believed to be the owner of the narcotics. The agency said the suspects were part of a network that secretly inserted drugs into passengers’ luggage without their knowledge.
The NDLEA also arrested two nationals of the Republic of Benin alongside a Nigerian after intercepting a truck transporting 558,900 tablets of Tramadol (250mg) concealed inside a specially fabricated compartment while entering Nigeria from Togo through the Benin Republic.
In other operations, officers recovered 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud, 118 kilograms of skunk, and an additional 28.8 kilograms of skunk during raids in Lagos and along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, leading to the arrest of several other suspects.
The agency said investigations are continuing as it intensifies efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and prosecute everyone connected to the illegal operations.
