Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, alongside three Nigerian accomplices: Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb, in connection with the seizure of 2,248,000 pills of Tramadol 200mg/225mg.
The illicit drugs were intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said: “The Tramadol shipment, worth N3.99 billion in street value, was imported from Delhi, India. It was disguised as multivitamins in 114 cartons and arrived at the import shed of the Lagos airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Monday, 8th September 2025.
A team of NDLEA officers who had placed the consignment under surveillance swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers attempting to move it out of the airport in two trucks on Thursday, 11th September. A follow-up operation the next day led to the arrest of the Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, when he came to take delivery of the consignment.”
At the Terminal 2 departure gate of the airport on Sunday, 7th September, NDLEA operatives also intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, travelling on a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. A search of his bag uncovered 900 grams of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) concealed in crayfish.
As a first-time traveller, Onyeganochi claimed the bag had been given to him by a Qatar-based Nigerian, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, who followed him to the airport. His confession led to Uchenna’s arrest, and a search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao Estate uncovered an additional 200 grams of the same substance. He admitted he was to return to Doha later to retrieve the bag if Onyeganochi had succeeded in evading security checks.
At the Tincan Port, Lagos, NDLEA officers recovered 161 parcels of Canadian Loud (81.7kg) and 1.2kg of hashish oil concealed in a 40ft container of vehicle spare parts and used cars imported from Montreal, Canada. The seizure, made during a joint examination on Tuesday, 9th September, led to the arrest of John Ochigbo (53) and Okeke Kingsley (26).
Another shipment of 65kg of Canadian Loud was tracked from the port to the Third Mainland Bridge, where NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna conveying the consignment and arrested the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim (42), on Thursday, 11th September.
Two separate shipments of drugs concealed in courier parcels were also seized in Lagos: 6 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a picture frame, destined for Gabon and 1.1kg of Loud concealed in video players, bound for the UAE.
In Ikorodu, Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a factory producing “skuchies,” a blend of cannabis and blackcurrant drink, on Thursday, 11th September. They recovered 6,029 bottles of the drink and 4,232kg of cannabis, arresting the factory manager, Joy Awosika. Another suspect, Akeem Oriola, was arrested the same day in Mushin with 26kg of skunk.