NDLEA arrested a British-Nigerian grandmother with 13kg of cocaine at Lagos airport and a PhD student linked to a Malaysia-bound drug syndicate, alongside multiple drug busts across Nigeria.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother with 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in plantain peels at Lagos airport, as part of a wave of drug busts across the country that also netted a PhD student who masterminded a cocaine shipment hidden in cartons of Orijin bitters destined for Malaysia.
The agency disclosed the developments in a press release issued on Sunday.
Lagos airport bust
Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, a caregiver based in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, on June 28, 2026, while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
A search of her luggage uncovered 31 large wraps of cocaine packaged to resemble plantain hands, weighing a total of 13 kilograms, concealed in plantain peels and packed among other food items. In her statement, Barek admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine.
PhD student ran Malaysia-bound cocaine network
A separate sting operation in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on June 29 led to the arrest of Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, 45, a PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia. He was identified as the leader of a syndicate that concealed 5.80 kilograms of cocaine within the walls of nine cartons of Orijin bitters, part of a consolidated cargo bound for Kuala Lumpur.
Four suspects arrested earlier in Lagos during the investigation include cargo agent Alalade Taiwo Azeez, driver Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi, trader Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie and accomplice Igwilo Chidi Henry, who supplied the Orijin bitters cartons used to conceal the drugs. Investigations eventually led operatives to Nwabueze, who was found hiding in his village of Aziora, Ozubulu in Anambra State.
In Taraba State, operatives arrested Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, on July 4 with 43,980 capsules of Tramadol concealed inside two vehicle fuel tanks along Zaki-Biam road in Wukari LGA. He was travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State at the time of arrest.
Other arrests across the country
In Kaduna, two suspects, Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, were arrested on July 2 during a raid in Gwantu LGA with 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In Ebonyi, Francis Ifara Eja, 65, was arrested on July 4 with 231.7 kilograms of cannabis in Ikwo. In Plateau State, 75-year-old Alhaji Babani was arrested on July 3 with 15 kilograms of cannabis in Kurgwi, Qua’anpan LGA.
In Gombe, Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, were arrested on July 1 at Kuri village, Yamaltu-Deba LGA, with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms.
NDLEA chief responds
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers of the MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures, noting their drug supply reduction efforts alongside ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities. He charged operatives across the country to continue to raise the operational bar.
