NDLEA Intercepts Italy-Bound Opioids Hidden in Body Cream and Jackets at Lagos Airport
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a series of sophisticated smuggling attempts at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, involving opioids concealed in everyday household items.
In a major operational breakthrough on Sunday, March 22, 2026, the agency revealed how traffickers attempted to smuggle thousands of synthetic opioid pills to Europe by hiding them inside skin-lightening cream containers and the linings of winter jackets.
According to an official statement by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, one of the key suspects, Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted while attempting to board a flight to Rome.
A thorough search of his luggage revealed thousands of tramadol pills cleverly tucked inside body cream jars.
Ehianuka reportedly confessed that he was promised payment in Euros upon successful delivery in Italy.
In a similar vein, another traveler, Christian Agbonhese, was apprehended on his way to Milan with over 28,000 pills of tramadol and tapentadol sewn into winter jackets.
The crackdown extended beyond the airport to a Lagos courier firm, where operatives intercepted "Loud"—a potent synthetic cannabis strain—shipped from the United States, alongside methamphetamine destined for New Zealand.
Across the country, the NDLEA recorded massive seizures, including 21,000 bottles of codeine in the Ijora area of Lagos and over half a million opioid pills along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.
Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa praised the officers for their vigilance, reiterating that the agency will continue to balance aggressive enforcement with its "War Against Drug Abuse" (WADA) sensitization campaigns.
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