Nigerian anti-narcotics officers have arrested an Italy-bound businessman after seizing 4.8 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and the frames of travel bags at Lagos airport.
The 38-year-old suspect, identified as Philip Tunde, was arrested on September 27 during screening at Murtala Muhammed International Airport before a flight to Milan. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the cocaine was packed into 16 parcels hidden in eight pairs of shoes and 195 wraps concealed in four travel bags.
The arrest was part of a wider nationwide crackdown that also produced major drug seizures at Nigerian ports and in several states.
At Tincan Island Port in Lagos, authorities seized about 1.3 tonnes of cannabis, while officers at Onne Port recovered 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16.4 tonnes. Other operations uncovered cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol and other controlled substances.
The NDLEA also destroyed 20,234 kilograms of cannabis from a plantation covering more than eight hectares in Osun State.
Separately, officers arrested 47-year-old Idris Mohammed Kurra, who had been wanted for six years after allegedly jumping bail in a drug trafficking case. Kurra was facing trial before the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, over the alleged possession and trafficking of 198 kilograms of cannabis. He had been released on bail in December 2020 and remained at large until his arrest on September 29.
The NDLEA said the operations form part of its continuing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks across Nigeria.
