Italy-bound businessman intercepted with cocaine consignments in shoe soles, bag railings

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a Milan-bound businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and the railings of travel bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

The 38-year-old suspect was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point, Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport ahead of his Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.

A thorough search by NDLEA operatives led to the recovery of 16 parcels of a white powdery substance hidden in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, plus 195 wraps of the same substance concealed in the railings of four traveling bags. The substances tested positive for cocaine, with a combined weight of 4.80kg.

During the interview, the suspect claimed he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine in the shoes, while the consignment in the bags was meant for delivery to his partner in Italy. He said he raised the money from compensation paid to him for an injury at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, in which he lost the tips of two fingers.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa, Tincan Island, and Onne seaports have intercepted container consignments of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, and codeine-based syrup worth over N5 billion, following months of intelligence and tracking the movement of the shipments from their ports of origin.

At the Apapa port in Lagos, NDLEA officers, acting on intelligence, subjected two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 percent examination with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders.

A search of one of the containers on Saturday, September 3, yielded 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg, worth N372,000,000, concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons.

At the Onne port in Rivers State, two containers watch-listed by the NDLEA based on processed intelligence were subjected to a joint examination with Customs and other security agencies.

During the search, 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg were found hidden in a traveling bag and three of five vehicles (a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra) shipped in one of the containers, while the second container held 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg. The container had left India for Saudi Arabia, where the history of its origin was deleted to avoid being targeted. The codeine and Loud consignments have a combined street value of N833,200,000.

At the Tincan Island port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, September 29, conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, with Customs and other stakeholders. As a result, a total of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg, concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, along with 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags, were recovered. The consignment was worth over N3.8 billion in street value.

A total of 20,234 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 8.0936 hectares of a cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State on Wednesday, September 30, by NDLEA operatives. Meanwhile, a suspect, Agbo Dennis, 41, was arrested on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the West of Mines area of Jos North, Plateau State, following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Monday, September 28, raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, where they recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol. A 23-year-old, Ekundayo Taiwo, was nabbed on Wednesday, September 30, in a follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market following the seizure of 61 grams of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a bottle of an energy drink as a waybill package from a commercial bus driver along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway the previous day.

In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway on Wednesday, September 30, intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus and found a waybill concealing two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1kg. In a follow-up operation, the owner of the consignment, Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, 29, was arrested at Utako, Abuja.

The residence of a suspect, Saturday Omimi, 35, was raided at Uyere community, Ovia North-East LGA, Edo State, on Friday, October 2, where NDLEA officers recovered 32.2kg of cannabis sativa. The same day, Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, 23, was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grams of Loud, 12 grams of Colorado, 19 grams of Tramadol, 16 grams of methamphetamine, 4 grams of Swinol, and 4 grams of Molly.

Six years after jumping bail, 47-year-old fugitive Idris Mohammed Kurra was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, September 29. Idris was facing trial at the Federal High Court, Jos, Plateau State, in connection with the possession and dealing of 198 kilograms of skunk. He, however, jumped bail granted him by the court in December 2020 and evaded arrest since then.
With the same vigor, commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse sensitization activities in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities over the past week. These included a WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of St. Paul’s Secondary School, Oji, Enugu; Olu-Odo Primary School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Tsamiya, Kano; Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti; and Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State, among others.

While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau, and Osun commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the onslaught against drug trafficking networks while continuing with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.