NDLEA Cracks Down Hard: Iran-Bound Courier Nabbed with Cocaine,Billions in Opioids Seized Nationwide

In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested 44-year-old businessman Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian at Port Harcourt International Airport on June 7, 2025, after he was found ingesting 53 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.172kg while attempting to board a flight to Tehran, Iran. Ezemokwe confessed to two years of drug courier activities between West Africa and Iran. This follows a similar arrest two weeks earlier at Kano Airport involving another Iran-bound courier.

The NDLEA’s intensified operations have yielded significant seizures nationwide in the past week:

• Lagos Airport: 14,410 tramadol pills concealed in winter jackets were seized from a passenger heading to Italy.
• Rivers State Ports: Over 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at more than N1.1 billion were intercepted hidden in ceramic sanitary wares containers.
• Cross River: 2,687kg of skunk cannabis recovered from a warehouse; three suspects arrested.
• Bauchi: 287kg of skunk seized from suspects on Bauchi-Jos road.
• Lagos Marine Command: 560kg of skunk recovered from a wooden boat at Oniru beach.
• Maiduguri Airport: Ecstasy pills and skunk disguised in deceptive packaging seized from two businessmen.

These operations are part of a broader collaborative effort involving NDLEA, Customs, and NAFDAC, which has resulted in the interception and destruction of over 200 containers of illicit drugs across Nigeria recently, according to Customs CG Bashir Adeniyi. The agencies leverage intelligence and community partnerships, especially in border areas, to enhance effectiveness in combating drug trafficking.

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Beyond enforcement, NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, delivering sensitization lectures in schools across multiple states to reduce drug demand.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), NDLEA Chairman/CEO, praised the dedication of officers nationwide for balancing supply reduction with demand reduction efforts, underscoring Nigeria’s firm stance against the drug menace.

This wave of arrests and seizures signals a robust escalation in Nigeria’s fight against drug trafficking, targeting both international couriers and large-scale domestic drug networks.