Agency also busts Malaysia-bound drug syndicate, seizes over 500kg of cannabis and other illicit drugs in nationwide operations.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after discovering 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside fake plantain peels packed among food items in her luggage.
The UK-based caregiver was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal 2 while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on June 28. A search of her luggage uncovered 31 wraps of cocaine disguised as hands of plantain, and she reportedly admitted ownership of the drugs during interrogation.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate linked to a Malaysia-bound shipment, arresting a 45-year-old PhD student of the University of Putra Malaysia in Anambra State. Investigators traced him after intercepting 5.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside cartons of Orijin Bitters and arresting four other suspects in Lagos.
The agency also recorded several arrests across the country, including a suspect caught with 43,980 tramadol capsules hidden inside vehicle fuel tanks in Taraba, two suspects with 1.7kg of methamphetamine in Kaduna, and others found with large quantities of skunk and cannabis in Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe states. In Gombe alone, operatives recovered 556 kilograms of cannabis sativa.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA said it sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through awareness programmes in schools, communities and workplaces across several states.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the successful operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain the fight against illicit drug trafficking while intensifying public sensitisation efforts.