Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a Milan-bound businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and railings of travel bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The 38-year-old suspect was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point, Terminal 2, ahead of his Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
NDLEA officers recovered 16 parcels of white powdery substance hidden in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, plus 195 wraps concealed in the railings of four travelling bags. The substances tested positive for cocaine.
During interrogation, Tunde claimed he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine in the shoes, while the consignment in the bags was meant for delivery to his partner in Italy.
He said he raised the money from compensation paid for an injury at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
In related operations, NDLEA operatives at Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne seaports intercepted container consignments of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, and codeine-based syrup worth over N5 billion.
At Apapa Port, two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, were examined on September 3, with 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg, worth N372 million, found hidden in refrigerators and cartons.
At Onne Port, two watch-listed containers yielded 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg hidden in vehicles, and 109,600 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 16,440kg.
At Tincan, a container from Montreal, Canada, examined on September 29, yielded 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg, worth over N3.8 billion.
Other operations across the country led to the destruction of 20,234kg of skunk on 8.09 hectares in Ife South LGA, Osun State, on September 30; recovery of 209,000 tramadol tablets at Ago Palace, Lagos; and arrests in Plateau, Kogi and Edo states, including that of 47-year-old fugitive Idris Mohammed Kurra, who had jumped bail since December 2020 in a 198kg skunk case.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers of MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun Commands for their professionalism, urging them to sustain the onslaught against drug trafficking while maintaining the Agency’s balanced approach to drug control and its War Against Drug Abuse sensitization drive.
