The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a major drug trafficking operation, intercepting cocaine concealed inside the heads of imported dry stock fish in Lagos.
The agency said the seizure was linked to a syndicate involved in distributing illicit drugs across international routes, particularly to India. The breakthrough followed intelligence reports on the group’s trans-border activities.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency disclosed that the operation was carried out by its Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command in the Ojo area of Lagos.
During the sting operation, officers arrested a suspect identified as 36-year-old Akputa Dickson Ejike, who was found in possession of three large bags. A search of the bags revealed 237 wraps of cocaine carefully hidden inside the heads of dry stock fish, locally known as “Okporoko.”
The recovered cocaine weighed a total of 5.80 kilograms and was reportedly destined for export to Delhi, India.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted two separate drug consignments at a courier company in Lagos. The shipments, which were headed to the United Kingdom, included 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in automobile filters, as well as 40 ampoules of morphine sulphate and nine ampoules of fentanyl.
The agency also carried out raids targeting local drug distribution networks. In Yaba, Lagos, operatives arrested 46-year-old Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, also known as “Iya Ghana,” alongside her sales assistant, Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka. A total of 135 blocks of cannabis, popularly referred to as “Ghana loud,” weighing 76.30 kilograms, were recovered from them.
On the same day, another suspect, Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, was arrested in Surulere, Lagos, with 78 blocks of cannabis weighing 41 kilograms.
Outside Lagos, NDLEA operations continued across several states. In Ekiti State, an 80-year-old man, Oke Samuel, was arrested with 2.2 kilograms of skunk and a small quantity of methamphetamine. In Ondo State, operatives recovered 894.72 kilograms of cannabis from an uncompleted building during a raid in Ogbese.
Further seizures were recorded in Benue State, where 116.7 kilograms of cannabis was recovered from a suspect in Guma LGA, and in Edo State, where a warehouse in Ekpoma was raided, leading to the seizure of 576.5 kilograms of cannabis and 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted a truck transporting 100 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 135 kilograms, concealed in bags of animal feed. Two suspects were arrested in connection with the operation.
The NDLEA said the series of operations highlights its continued efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and curb the movement of illicit substances across Nigeria and beyond.
