By Chimdiogo Amuh 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an ex-convict, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, alongside three cargo agents over the seizure of cocaine concealed in sachets of liquid starch and bound for the United Kingdom.

The agency said 75 parcels of cocaine, weighing 1.50 kilogrammes, were recovered from factory-sealed cold-water starch sachets at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi disclosed that three cargo agents Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun, and Igwe Chioma Jane, were arrested on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in connection with the attempted export.

Further investigation, he said, linked the shipment to 37-year-old Nwobodo, who was arrested the following day at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.

According to the statement, Nwobodo is a repeat offender who was previously convicted in 2023 for trafficking 30.10kg of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers destined for London. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦7 million fine, which he paid before returning to drug trafficking.

Babafemi added that in Gombe State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, along the Gombe–Biu highway while conveying 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 27,900 tramadol pills, and other opioids en route to Borno State.

In Lagos, a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, also known as Brown, was arrested in Apapa in connection with the earlier seizure of 26kg of “loud” cannabis at the Tincan Seaport on December 10, following a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies.

The NDLEA further disclosed that between December 21 and 25, 2025, its operatives conducted coordinated operations across Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos, and Taraba states, resulting in the destruction of drug warehouses, seizure of large quantities of cannabis, and arrest of multiple suspects.

In Ekiti State, operatives set ablaze cannabis warehouses in Ara Forest, Ara-Ekiti, recovering 638kg of skunk, while 883.1kg of compressed cannabis sativa was seized from three vehicles intercepted along the Igara, Auchi Road in Edo State.

Similarly, raids in Agoi-Ibami community, Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, led to the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of substantial quantities of cannabis.