November 30, (THEWILL) — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a social-media-based drug distribution network that disguised illicit substances as imported Christmas cookies and snacks, arresting two masterminds in a sting operation in the Lekki area of Lagos.
Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said that operatives of the Agency stormed the syndicate’s hideout on Ojulari Street, Ikate, on Saturday, November 22, 2025, following credible intelligence on their activities.
The network, allegedly run by Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi, had imported consignments of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, long with hundreds of colourful designer sachets branded with cookie and snack labels, used to retail the psychoactive substance to customers via WhatsApp. NDLEA operatives recovered five kilograms of Loud and large quantities of the packaging materials at the point of arrest.
In a separate operation in Lagos, officers on Thursday, November 27, apprehended a 38-year-old drug kingpin, Philip Ucheka, in the Ladipo area of Mushin. Ucheka was caught while taking delivery of 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6kg, with three delivery vehicles seized from him
At a courier terminal in the state, NDLEA personnel intercepted 100 grams of Loud cleverly concealed in a teddy bear imported from Thailand. The next day, Friday, November 28, another consignment — 548 capsules of tramadol hidden in Vitamin C and magnesium bottles headed for the United Kingdom — was uncovered at a different logistics firm.
Across the country, similar interceptions and arrests underscored the Agency’s intensified crackdown. In Oyo State, operatives patrolling the Lagos–Ibadan expressway on Saturday, November 29, arrested Wasiu Kareem, 55, with 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 1,500 Co-codamol pills and 9,900 tramadol capsules.
A major raid in Ondo State on Monday, November 24, led to the arrest of seven suspects in Ipe forest, Akoko South East LGA, where 3,077 kilograms of skunk were recovered. The suspects include John Ede, Ede Ndubuisi, Ikenna Abe, Eze Chukwuma, Maduabuchi Odo, Nnaji Chudubem and Gorge Okowor.
In Kogi State, Anthony Sylvester, 49, was arrested along the Okene/Lokoja highway on Wednesday, November 26, with 649kg of skunk concealed in a truck. On Friday, November 28, NDLEA’s Seme Special Area Command raided a warehouse at Ashipa, Seme border, arresting Abubakar Shuaibu, 33, with 487 blocks of skunk weighing 243.5kg.
Kano officers arrested Tsalha Alasan, 47, with 137kg of the substance along the Zaria-Kano road on November 24. In Bauchi State, three suspects — Godspower Appeal, 50; Ernest Upong, 55; and Godday Chukwudi, 38 — were held with 322 blocks of skunk weighing 209kg at Fanshanu village, Toro LGA, with a black Toyota Highlander recovered from them.
Also on Saturday, November 29, John Ekojo, 51, was nabbed with 210.15kg of skunk along the Abuja/Jos highway. Meanwhile, along the Abuja/Kaduna corridor, a couple — Abdullahi Abubakar, 45, and Jamila Abdullahi, 35 — were arrested with 725 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition hidden in a sack of maize. Another suspect, Awwal Sabiu, 20, was intercepted at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate on Friday, November 28, with 400 rounds of the same ammunition.
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation efforts, taking drug education campaigns to schools, ports, worship centres, workplaces and communities. Recent engagements were recorded at Government Junior Technical School, Kano; Bright Eyes International School, Abakaliki; Tincan Port, Lagos; Legacy International College, Nsukka; and Seatos School, Ikorodu, among others.
Commending the operatives for their sustained efforts, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged commands across the country to maintain the Agency’s balanced strategy of rigorous enforcement and broad-based public sensitisation.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
