NDLEA arrests China-bound 38-year-old businesswoman with large consignment of cocaine
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives in Lagos have intercepted a 38-year-old businesswoman Iwebema Peace following the discovery of a large consignment of cocaine concealed in false bottom of her luggage while heading to Beijing, China.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday said the suspect was arrested aboard a Qatar Airways flight through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
According to Babafemi, Peace, who claimed she travels to China to buy items for sale in Nigeria, was arrested on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the Lagos airport based on credible intelligence.
“A search of her check-in luggage led to the discovery of four large parcels of cocaine concealed in false bottom professionally created in her bag,” the statement reads.
“The parcels of the class A drug found hidden in the bag have a combined weight of 7.5 kilograms.”
Meanwhile, Babafemi said in another major interdiction operation, efforts by operatives of two special operations units of NDLEA tracking and monitoring a container laden with 195 big sacks of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis from Toronto, Canada, for over four weeks paid off on Wednesday, June 23.
He said 4,959 kilograms of the illicit drug consignment worth N12, 397,500,000 in street value, were recovered from the container during a joint examination of the shipment by officers of the Apapa strategic command of the agency, men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), other security agencies and ports stakeholders at the Apapa ports complex, Lagos.
“The large illicit drug consignment which was loaded into a 40ft container comprising a Ford and a Nissan vehicle came under NDLEA tracking and monitoring system since 25th April 2026 when it arrived in Toronto, Canada via truck, Montreal via rail on 29th April, Tanger Med Morocco on 11th May, loaded on another vessel on 23rd May before arriving Tincan port Lagos on 4th June and discharged there 5th June before the container eventually left Tincan and arrived Apapa port on Monday 22nd June,” Babafemi added.
He also said NDLEA operatives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in a joint operation with their colleagues in Anambra unravelled a syndicate which plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers in motor parks.
He noted that the syndicate’s trick came to the fore when operatives in Abuja intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine in a Sienna bus coming from Nnewi Anambra state at Abaji, FCT on Saturday, June 20.
“During a search of the bus, a waybill package was recovered containing whitish substances suspected to be methamphetamine concealed inside a black nylon bag, which was also put into another sack of clothes with the phone number of the receiver written on it,” the NDLEA spokesperson said.
“A follow up operation conducted same day led to the arrest of the supposed receiver of the waybill Mrs. Gloria Peter at Utako motor park.
“She however vehemently denied knowledge and ownership of the package in her luggage. This led to a swift arrest of the loaders of the Sienna bus in Nnewi where one of them revealed that the drug package was put into the woman’s bag by him on the directive of the driver of the bus Abdurrazak Isah.
“His revelations made the driver to open up and mentioned one of his passengers Onyebuchi Victor Okoye as the actual owner of the drug. Onyebuchi was then picked up at Utako, FCT during another follow up operation. The illicit consignment weighed 467.7grams.”
“Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of NDLEA on Saturday 27th June acting on credible intelligence, arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos with 209.50kg Scottish Loud, a strong strain of cannabis. The illicit consignment was being taken to Enugu when it was intercepted.”
TWO BENIN REPUBLIC NATIONALS, NIGERIAN ARRESTED IN LAGOS
Babafemi said two nationals of Benin Republic, identified as Hossou Tito Julien, 30; and Mancellim Dossou, 19, and a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod, were arrested in Lagos by NDLEA operatives following credible intelligence.
He said the suspects were nabbed on the Mile 2 Bridge when their truck conveying illicit drug consignment from Togo through Benin Republic was intercepted on Sunday, June 21.
“A thorough search of the truck led to the recovery of Five Hundred and Fifty-Eight Thousand Nine Hundred (558,900) pills of Tramadol 250mg, concealed in a fabricated compartment of the vehicle,” Babafemi said.
“Two suspects: Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo were also arrested along Lagos–Ibadan expressway on Friday 26th June while transporting 118kg skunk among other legitimate goods in a truck, which left Ebute Ero area of Lagos Island, heading to Onitsha, Anambra wtate.
“In another operation in Lagos, Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, were arrested same Friday 26th June at 15 Olumokun Street, Amukoko, with 28.8 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.
“Investigation revealed that the principal suspect, Helen stores her illicit consignments with the second suspect, Rashidat, from where she distributes to her customers.”
