The agency says cocaine was hidden inside a local mortar and a backpack destined for China and Italy, while four suspects were arrested in separate operations

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a significant cocaine seizure after operatives intercepted 750 grammes of the drug concealed in a local mortar and the false bottom of a backpack being prepared for shipment to China and Italy through a Lagos logistics company.

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The agency also said four suspects were arrested and large quantities of illicit drugs, including cannabis, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and tramadol, were recovered during separate operations across several states.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the development in a statement on Sunday, saying officers from the agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigations made the cocaine seizures on Thursday.

According to Babafemi, 250 grammes of cocaine had been factory-fitted into the base of a local mortar intended for export to China.

A further 500 grammes was discovered hidden inside the false bottom of a backpack reportedly destined for Italy.

The seizures highlight the increasingly sophisticated methods allegedly used by drug trafficking networks to conceal illicit substances in legitimate-looking consignments sent through commercial logistics channels.

In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested 38-year-old suspected drug dealer Ugo Gift Okonkwo at Eagle Island in Port Harcourt following intelligence-led operations.

The agency said the suspect was found with various quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol and codeine syrup when he was arrested on July 26.

In Anambra State, operatives intercepted a truck with registration number XK 131 BDG at the DMGS Roundabout in Onitsha on July 27.

The operation led to the recovery of 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing approximately 3,960 kilogrammes. The truck driver, 40-year-old Chinedu Nwanze, was arrested in connection with the consignment.

Another major recovery was made in Delta State, where NDLEA personnel seized 331.84 kilogrammes of skunk from a Toyota Sienna with registration number KUJ 26 DV along the Kwale-Ughelli Expressway on July 26.

In Nasarawa State, 64-year-old Joseph Nwaeke was arrested on July 28 at Asso Angwan Muazu in the Karu area.

Babafemi said 68 kilogrammes of skunk and 29 grammes of methamphetamine were recovered from the suspect.

Meanwhile, a 27-year-old suspect, Sani Umar, was intercepted along the Zaria-Gusau Highway in Zamfara State on July 27 with 7,400 tablets of tramadol 225mg.

The NDLEA said the consignment was believed to have been intended for criminal elements.

The latest operations form part of the agency’s wider campaign against drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria, combining enforcement operations with public education and prevention initiatives.

Babafemi said NDLEA commands across the country had continued to intensify the War Against Drug Abuse campaign through sensitisation programmes held in schools, communities, places of worship and motor parks.

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to tackling both the supply of illicit drugs and demand for them.

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The latest NDLEA cocaine seizure and the wider drug recoveries underscore the scale of the agency’s ongoing enforcement efforts, while the use of concealed compartments and commercial logistics channels demonstrates the persistent challenge posed by trafficking networks seeking to move illicit substances within Nigeria and across international borders.