​NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine in Mortar, Backpack; Nabs Suspects Nationwide

​LAGOS — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted multiple drug trafficking plots, intercepting cocaine shipments concealed inside a local wooden mortar and a backpack destined for China and Italy.

​According to anti-narcotics authorities, the Directorate of Operation and General Investigations (DOGI) operatives intercepted the consignments at a Lagos logistics facility on Thursday, July 30, 2026. The haul includes 250 grams of cocaine factory-fitted into the base of a wooden mortar packed in a carton bound for China, alongside 500 grams of the illicit substance hidden within the false bottom of a backpack addressed to Italy.

​The Lagos interception forms part of a sweeping nationwide crackdown that has yielded major drug seizures and high-profile arrests across Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa, and Zamfara states.

​Rivers and Anambra Raids Net Major Cartels

​In Rivers State, intelligence-led operations led to the arrest of Ugo Gift Okonkwo, a 38-year-old notorious drug kingpin nabbed at Eagle Island, Port Harcourt, on Sunday, July 26. Operatives recovered diverse quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol, and codeine syrup from his possession.

ADVERTISEMENT

​Meanwhile, a routine stop-and-search operation along the DMGS roundabout in Onitsha, Anambra State, on Monday, July 27, led to the interception of a commercial truck marked XK 131 BDG. The vehicle was loaded with 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing a staggering 3,960 kilograms, resulting in the immediate arrest of the 40-year-old driver, Chinedu Nwanze.

​Delta, Nasarawa, and Zamfara Interceptions

​Anti-narcotics teams also maintained pressure across other regions:

• ​Delta State: Officers recovered 331.84 kilograms of skunk from a Toyota Sienna bus (registration number KUJ 26 DV) along the Kwale/Ughelli expressway on Sunday, July 26.
• ​Nasarawa State: A 64-year-old suspect, Joseph Nwaeke, was taken into custody on Tuesday, July 28, at Asso Angwan Muazu in the Karu area after security operatives found 68 kilograms of skunk and 29 grams of methamphetamine in his possession.
• ​Zamfara State: Routine highway patrols along the Zaria-Gusau corridor on Monday, July 27, led to the interception of Sani Umar, 27, who was transporting 7,400 pills of 225mg tramadol suspected to be supply provisions for criminal networks operating in the region.

​The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to dismantling local and international drug distribution networks, noting that all suspects will face prosecution as investigations continue.