Multi-state raids expose transnational trafficking network as operatives intercept drug-laden trailers, arrest elderly suspect, couple, and foreign accomplices

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt a significant blow to a transnational drug trafficking network, intercepting 1.63 million pills of Tramadol (250mg) concealed in specially modified trailers heading to Kano.

The agency said the seizure followed intelligence-driven operations that tracked two suspicious trailers moving from Lagos along the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Upon interception, officers discovered the illicit consignments hidden beneath reinforced cargo floors designed to evade detection. Two 22-year-old drivers were arrested in connection with the shipments.

NDLEA investigations linked the operation to a cross-border syndicate operating along the Togo–Benin Republic–Nigeria corridor, highlighting the scale and sophistication of the network.

In a related development, operatives in Rivers State arrested an 80-year-old suspect, identified as Chika Ugwoji, allegedly in possession of 800 grams of skunk, underscoring the wide demographic involved in the illicit trade.

Further raids in Edo State led to the discovery of a major drug warehouse along Sapele Road in Benin City. A couple was arrested at the location, where officers recovered 22 bags of cannabis weighing 219.5 kilograms, alongside 192.67 kilograms of ‘Canadian Loud,’ a potent synthetic cannabis variant.

The crackdown extended to other parts of the country, with the arrest of a businesswoman accused of importing drug consignments from Canada. Additionally, a Chadian woman and her Nigerian accomplice were apprehended after being linked to 50,000 tramadol pills intercepted earlier in Kogi State.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the operatives for the successful operations and charged them to remain relentless in the agency’s nationwide war against drug trafficking and abuse.

The latest seizures underscore NDLEA’s intensified efforts to dismantle drug networks and curb the flow of illicit substances across Nigeria.