NDLEA Cracks Syndicate Using Hajj Pilgrims to Smuggle Cocaine, Arrests 3 Kingpins in Kano

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a notorious syndicate that sponsors Hajj pilgrims to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia. This breakthrough followed the arrest of three cartel leaders in Kano and the interception of two Saudi-bound pilgrims carrying cocaine at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

On May 26, NDLEA operatives arrested pilgrims Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado after scans revealed they had ingested 90 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.04kg. Under excretion observation, each expelled 45 wraps of the drug. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the syndicate kingpins—Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba—on May 27 and 28 in Kano.

In a related case, a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, was intercepted at the Kano airport on May 28 while preparing to fly to Iran. Body scans confirmed ingestion of 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg, which he later excreted under observation.

Beyond these arrests, NDLEA also seized a massive haul of illicit drugs worth over ₦9.3 billion at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, including 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and trodol, along with 5.1 million pills of opioids such as tapentadol. These seizures highlight the scale of drug trafficking operations in Nigeria.

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Additional operations led to the interception of $900,000 suspected counterfeit cash in Kano and the arrest of a female drug dealer in Kwara with various opioids. NDLEA continues its nationwide campaign against drug abuse, combining enforcement with public sensitization efforts.

NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers involved for their dedication in balancing drug supply reduction with demand reduction strategies.

This crackdown exposes the alarming exploitation of religious pilgrimages for drug trafficking, underscoring the NDLEA’s vigilance and operational effectiveness in combating narcotics smuggling networks in Nigeria.