The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a major drug trafficking operation, intercepting cocaine concealed inside the heads of imported dry stock fish, popularly known as okporoko, and arresting suspects linked to an international syndicate.

The breakthrough followed intelligence on cross-border drug movements, leading to a coordinated operation by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Strategic Command in Ojo, Lagos. During the raid, operatives arrested 36-year-old Akputa Dickson Ejike, who was found with three jumbo bags containing 237 wraps of cocaine weighing 5.8 kilograms, cleverly hidden in fish heads and bound for Delhi, India.

In another operation, NDLEA officers intercepted drug shipments destined for the United Kingdom at a Lagos courier firm. The consignments included 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in automobile filters, along with ampoules of morphine sulphate and fentanyl.

The agency also carried out a raid in Yaba, Lagos, arresting a suspected drug kingpin, 46-year-old Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, also known as Iya Ghana, alongside an accomplice. Officers recovered 135 blocks of cannabis weighing over 76 kilograms from the residence.

Further arrests were made in Surulere, where another suspect was caught with 78 blocks of cannabis weighing 41 kilograms, and in Ekiti State, where an 80-year-old man was apprehended with skunk and methamphetamine. Additional seizures were recorded in Ondo, Benue, Edo, and Taraba states, with several suspects taken into custody.

The agency noted that its War Against Drug Abuse campaigns continue across schools nationwide, as NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers for their efforts and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to tackling drug supply while strengthening preventive advocacy.