The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a major drug trafficking operation involving cocaine hidden in dry stock fish, while also arresting an 80-year-old man found in possession of methamphetamine during coordinated raids across the country.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, March 29, 2026, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the breakthrough followed actionable intelligence that led to a sting operation by operatives of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command in the Ojo area of Lagos on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
During the operation, a 36-year-old suspect, Akputa Dickson Ejike, was apprehended with three jumbo bags. A thorough search revealed 237 wraps of cocaine carefully concealed inside the heads of imported dry stock fish, popularly known as okporoko.
The seized cocaine, weighing 5.80 kilograms, was reportedly destined for export to Delhi, India.
In a separate operation on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation intercepted two consignments bound for the United Kingdom at a Lagos courier facility. One shipment, which originated from Cotonou, Benin Republic, contained 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in automobile filters. Another parcel was found to contain 40 ampoules of morphine sulphate and nine ampoules of fentanyl.
Further crackdowns on Thursday, March 26, 2026, saw operatives of the Special Operations Unit raid a residence at 13 Carter Street, Yaba, Lagos, leading to the arrest of 46-year-old Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, also known as “Iya Ghana,” and her associate, 31-year-old Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka. Officers recovered 135 blocks of cannabis weighing 76.30 kilograms.
On the same day, another suspect, Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, 39, was arrested at Doyin bus stop in Surulere, Lagos, with 78 blocks of “Ghana Loud” cannabis weighing 41 kilograms.
In Ekiti State, operatives arrested 80-year-old Oke Samuel during a raid at Mosafuneto camp along Erinmo Road in Efon-Alaaye on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Authorities recovered 2.2 kilograms of skunk and 1.8 grams of methamphetamine from him.
In Ondo State, 37-year-old Enuwa Kehinde Kingsley was linked to the seizure of 894.72 kilograms of skunk from an uncompleted building in Ogbese, Akure North Local Government Area.
Similarly, in Benue State, NDLEA operatives arrested 35-year-old Saater Nyam at Pevi village in Guma LGA on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, with 116.7 kilograms of skunk.
A warehouse raid in Ekpoma, Esan West LGA of Edo State on Monday, March 23, 2026, resulted in the arrest of 25-year-old Felix Donald and the recovery of 576.5 kilograms of skunk, along with 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted a truck transporting 100 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 135 kilograms concealed in animal feed bags along the Garbachede–Gombe route on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Two suspects, Osama Mamuda, 21, and Auwal Umar, 22, were arrested.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA said it has sustained its War Against Drug Abuse campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools across Cross River, Adamawa, Oyo, Kano, and Lagos states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations nationwide, praising their efforts in tackling drug trafficking while also advancing drug demand reduction initiatives.
NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine Concealed in Dry Fish, Arrests 80-Year-Old Man with Meth
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a major drug trafficking operation involving cocaine hidden in dry stock fish, while also arresting an 80-year-old man found in possession of methamphetamine during coordinated raids across the country.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, March 29, 2026, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the breakthrough followed actionable intelligence that led to a sting operation by operatives of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command in the Ojo area of Lagos on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
During the operation, a 36-year-old suspect, Akputa Dickson Ejike, was apprehended with three jumbo bags. A thorough search revealed 237 wraps of cocaine carefully concealed inside the heads of imported dry stock fish, popularly known as okporoko.
The seized cocaine, weighing 5.80 kilograms, was reportedly destined for export to Delhi, India.
In a separate operation on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation intercepted two consignments bound for the United Kingdom at a Lagos courier facility. One shipment, which originated from Cotonou, Benin Republic, contained 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in automobile filters. Another parcel was found to contain 40 ampoules of morphine sulphate and nine ampoules of fentanyl.
Further crackdowns on Thursday, March 26, 2026, saw operatives of the Special Operations Unit raid a residence at 13 Carter Street, Yaba, Lagos, leading to the arrest of 46-year-old Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, also known as “Iya Ghana,” and her associate, 31-year-old Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka. Officers recovered 135 blocks of cannabis weighing 76.30 kilograms.
On the same day, another suspect, Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, 39, was arrested at Doyin bus stop in Surulere, Lagos, with 78 blocks of “Ghana Loud” cannabis weighing 41 kilograms.
In Ekiti State, operatives arrested 80-year-old Oke Samuel during a raid at Mosafuneto camp along Erinmo Road in Efon-Alaaye on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Authorities recovered 2.2 kilograms of skunk and 1.8 grams of methamphetamine from him.
In Ondo State, 37-year-old Enuwa Kehinde Kingsley was linked to the seizure of 894.72 kilograms of skunk from an uncompleted building in Ogbese, Akure North Local Government Area.
Similarly, in Benue State, NDLEA operatives arrested 35-year-old Saater Nyam at Pevi village in Guma LGA on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, with 116.7 kilograms of skunk.
A warehouse raid in Ekpoma, Esan West LGA of Edo State on Monday, March 23, 2026, resulted in the arrest of 25-year-old Felix Donald and the recovery of 576.5 kilograms of skunk, along with 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted a truck transporting 100 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 135 kilograms concealed in animal feed bags along the Garbachede–Gombe route on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Two suspects, Osama Mamuda, 21, and Auwal Umar, 22, were arrested.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA said it has sustained its War Against Drug Abuse campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools across Cross River, Adamawa, Oyo, Kano, and Lagos states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations nationwide, praising their efforts in tackling drug trafficking while also advancing drug demand reduction initiatives.
