The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a sophisticated drug distribution network in Lagos, where illicit substances were packaged and sold as imported Christmas cookies. Two masterminds behind the operation were arrested following a raid on their hideout in the Lekki area of the state.
Operatives stormed an apartment on Ojulari Street, Ikate, Lekki, on Saturday, 22 November 2025, recovering 5kg of Canadian Loud — a potent strain of cannabis — along with designer sachets branded as cookies and snacks. The syndicate, run by Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi, had been distributing the disguised drugs via a WhatsApp platform.
In a separate operation on Thursday, 27 November, NDLEA officers arrested a 38-year-old drug kingpin, Philip Ucheka, in the Ladipo area of Mushin while he was taking delivery of 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6kg. Three delivery vehicles were seized during the arrest.
At a courier facility in Lagos, operatives intercepted 100 grams of Loud hidden inside a teddy bear imported from Thailand. Another shipment containing 548 tramadol capsules concealed in Vitamin C and magnesium bottles and destined for the United Kingdom was intercepted the next day.
Across the country, NDLEA operatives reported further breakthroughs.
Along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, officers arrested Wasiu Kareem, 55, with 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 1,500 Co-codamol pills, and 9,900 tramadol capsules.
In Ondo State, a raid on Ipe Forest in Akoko South East LGA on Monday, 24 November, led to the recovery of 3,077kg of skunk and the arrest of seven suspects: John Ede, Ede Ndubuisi, Ikenna Abe, Eze Chukwuma, Maduabuchi Odo, Nnaji Chudubem, and Gorge Okowor.
In Kogi State, operatives intercepted 649kg of skunk along the Okene–Lokoja highway on Wednesday, 26 November, while in Seme, Lagos, officers arrested Abubakar Shuaibu, 33, with 243.5kg of skunk stored in a warehouse.
Further arrests were made across Kano, Bauchi, and the Abuja–Jos corridor, with hundreds of kilograms of skunk seized and multiple suspects detained. A Toyota Highlander used in drug transportation was also confiscated in Bauchi State.
In Kaduna, a couple — Abdullahi Abubakar, 45, and Jamila Abdullahi, 35 — was arrested along the Abuja–Kaduna highway with 725 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed in a sack of maize. Another suspect, Awwal Sabiu, 20, was caught with 400 rounds of the same ammunition at the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate.
Meanwhile, the Agency intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities across Kano, Ebonyi, Lagos, Enugu, and other states.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers across various commands for their successful operations and urged them to maintain a balanced and sustained approach to drug control.