The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a Lagos-based drug distribution network that allegedly packaged illicit substances as imported Christmas cookies and snacks for sale through social media. Two suspects identified as Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi were arrested during a raid on their residence in the Ikate area of Lekki.
According to the Director of Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the syndicate imported Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, along with colourful designer sachets branded with cookie and snack labels used to disguise the drugs for retail distribution. NDLEA operatives stormed the apartment on Saturday, November 22, 2025, following credible intelligence, recovering five kilograms of Loud and a large stash of the packaging materials.
In a separate operation in Ladipo, Mushin, on Thursday, November 27, operatives arrested 38-year-old drug kingpin Philip Ucheka as he allegedly took delivery of 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6kg. Three delivery vehicles were also seized from him.
NDLEA officers at courier facilities in Lagos also intercepted 100 grams of Loud concealed in a teddy bear shipped from Thailand on November 27, and 548 capsules of tramadol hidden in Vitamin C and magnesium bottles destined for the United Kingdom the following day.
Across other states, multiple arrests and seizures were recorded. On the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, NDLEA personnel apprehended 55-year-old Wasiu Kareem with a haul of controlled substances including 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine, 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 1,500 Co-codamol pills, and 9,900 tramadol capsules.
In Ondo State, a raid on Ipe forest in Akoko South East on November 24 led to the arrest of seven suspects and the recovery of 3,077kg of cannabis. Similarly, along the Okene–Lokoja highway, 649kg of cannabis was seized from a truck on November 26.
At the Seme border area, operatives arrested 33-year-old Abubakar Shuaibu after uncovering 487 blocks of cannabis weighing 243.5kg in a warehouse on November 28.
Arrests and seizures were also recorded in Kano, Bauchi, Kogi, Kaduna, and the FCT, including the interception of large volumes of cannabis and the arrest of suspects transporting ammunition. Along the Abuja–Kaduna highway, a couple—Abdullahi Abubakar (45) and Jamila Abdullahi (35)—were caught with 725 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition hidden in a sack of maize. Another suspect, 20-year-old Awwal Sabiu, was intercepted with 400 rounds at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate.
Meanwhile, NDLEA formations nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities. Beneficiary institutions for the week included schools in Kano, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Lagos, as well as dock workers at Tincan Port.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended the operatives involved in the successful operations across the country and urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
About The Author
