Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34‑year‑old South American male from Suriname, Dadda Albert, for attempting to smuggle 117 parcels of cocaine into Nigeria. The cocaine was concealed in extra‑large latex condoms factory‑packed inside bottles of 100 ml body spray. Albert was apprehended at Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State. The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement obtained by our correspondent on Sunday. Babafemi said Albert claimed he left Suriname on 2 April for São Paulo, Brazil, and then departed São Paulo for Nigeria on 7 April aboard a Qatar Airways flight, allegedly in search of his long‑lost Nigerian father, whom he called “Omini.”
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers and other stakeholders at the Tincan seaport in Lagos intercepted 110 parcels of cannabis. The 55 kg of the drug was hidden in a container bearing five used vehicles, marked MSCU 4972769, arriving from Toronto via Montreal, Canada. Babafemi noted that this seizure was part of a total of 1,559.3 kg (1.5 tons) of psychoactive substances seized during interdiction operations in five states over the past week.
Additional arrests were made across the country. On 2 April, two suspects, Nura Ibrahim (40) and Habibu Sadiq (38), were detained with 120 blocks of cannabis weighing 148.7 kg along the Zaria‑Kano road. On 6 April, NDLEA recovered at least 418.5 kg of cannabis and a Sienna Space bus used for its transport at the notorious drug hub Patey on Lagos Island. The same day, a suspect named Azi Solomon was arrested at the Ojota garage while attempting to move 23 kg of cannabis to another state.
Further seizures included the arrest of Abubakar Abdulahi and Stanley Tobias on 7 April with 108,000 tramadol tablets at Oyingbo motor park in Lagos mainland. In Imo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus, recovering 37,210 opioid pills and 30 bottles of codeine syrup, and arrested three suspects in follow‑up operations. In Taraba State, 40.9 kg of cannabis was seized from two suspects, Haruna Adamu (32) and Salisu Ibrahim (30). In Wukari, 502,840 tramadol and exol‑5 pills were recovered from suspect Imrana Aliyu on 6 April, while 205.6 kg of cannabis was found at the home of a fleeing suspect in the Gida Dubu area of Bauchi metropolis.
Finally, the Sokoto State Command of the anti‑narcotics agency received 667.6 kg of cannabis seized by the Nigeria Customs Service along the Illela border with the Niger Republic.
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