The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 39-year-old female drug kingpin and recovered 23.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in her children’s room in Surulere, Lagos.
The arrest followed months of intelligence tracking after NDLEA operatives dismantled a cocaine trafficking syndicate in May 2024 across Lagos and Ogun states.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect was a key member of the cartel that attempted to smuggle cocaine to Ghana. Earlier operations led to the arrest of a couple with 57.5kg of cocaine.
Babafemi said the latest seizure, estimated at over ₦5 billion in street value, was recovered from a suitcase during a search of the suspect’s residence.
NDLEA Chairman, Retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved and urged heightened vigilance during the festive season.
In a related development, the Agency has intercepted large consignments of opioids and cannabis and arrested multiple suspects in coordinated operations nationwide.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a 36-year-old man was arrested while attempting to fly to Italy with 1,020 pills of tramadol and tapentadol concealed in his luggage.
NDLEA officers also arrested a 48-year-old Beninoise at the Seme border with 3,400 tramadol tablets.
Elsewhere, operatives seized 28.4kg of skunk along the Okene–Lokoja highway, 125,000 tramadol capsules and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine in Oyo State, and 405kg of skunk during a raid in Osun State.
Another suspect was arrested along the Abuja–Kaduna highway with 14,960 tramadol pills concealed in kolanut sacks.
The agency said it has sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through arrests, seizures and nationwide sensitisation efforts.
