Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a social media network used to distribute illicit substances packaged as imported Christmas cookies and snacks.
Disclosing this in a statement on Sunday, the anti-narcotics agency’s spokesman, Mr. Femi Bsbafeni said two masterminds were arrested in connection with the seizures and taken into custody after a raid on their hideout in Lekki area of Lagos.
The drug syndicate, run by Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi had imported consignments of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis and a variety of colourful designer sachets with pictures and labels of cookies and snacks printed on them, and used to package the psychoactive substance in retail quantities.
“Following credible intelligence about the activities of the syndicate which operates and distributes through a WhatsApp platform, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 22nd November 2025 raided their apartment at Ojulari street, Ikate area of Lekki where a large quantity of the designer sachets and 5kilograms of Loud were recovered from them at the point of their arrest”, Babafemi stated.
In another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 27th November arrested a 38-year-old drug kingpin Philip Ucheka while taking delivery of 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6kg at Ladipo area of Mushin. At the point of his arrest, three delivery vehicles were also seized from him.
Furthermore, at a courier company in Lagos, 100grams of Loud concealed in teddy bear imported from Thailand were intercepted on Thursday 27thNovember while a consignment of 548 capsules of tramadol hidden in bottles of Vitamin C and Magnesium going to the United Kingdom were recovered at another logistics firm the following day, Friday 28th November.
Similarly, one John Ekojo, aged 51, was arrested with 210.15kg skunk along Abuja/Jos highway on Saturday 29th November, while a couple: Abdullahi Abubakar, 45, and Jamila Abdullahi, 35, were nabbed along Abuja/Kaduna highway with 725 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition concealed in a sack of maize just as another suspect Awwal Sabiu, 20, was caught with 400 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition at Abuja/Kaduna tollgate on Friday 28thNovember.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), who commended the officers and men of the various commsnds for the succesful operations, enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.
