NDLEA arrests Nigerian-British grandma with 13kg cocaine at Lagos airport
A 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman, Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency after authorities uncovered 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in fake plantain peels packed among food items in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that Barek, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on Sunday, June 28, 2026. A search of her luggage led to the recovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine, weighing 13 kilograms, packaged to resemble hands of plantain. The suspect reportedly admitted ownership of the illicit drug.
Similarly, the agency also dismantled a cocaine trafficking syndicate linked to a Malaysia-bound shipment after arresting a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on June 29. Investigators said Onyeka was identified as the alleged mastermind behind the concealment of 5.8 kilograms of cocaine inside the walls of nine cartons of Orijin Bitters destined for Kuala Lumpur.
Babafemi said the arrest followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine hidden in the cartons. Four suspects had earlier been arrested in Lagos during the investigation: cargo agent Alalade Taiwo Azeez; driver Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi; trader Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie, who allegedly handed the consignment to the driver; and Igwilo Chidi Henry, accused of supplying the Orijin Bitters cartons used to conceal the drugs. Their arrests led investigators to Onyeka, who was apprehended in his hometown of Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State.
Meanwhile, in Taraba State, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, July 4, arrested Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area after discovering 43,980 capsules of tramadol concealed inside two vehicle fuel tanks. The suspect was intercepted while travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, following intelligence reports.
Elsewhere, NDLEA officers arrested Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, during a raid in Gwantu, Kaduna State, on July 2, recovering 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine. In Ebonyi State, officers arrested 65-year-old Francis Ifara Eja with 231.7 kilograms of skunk at Ikwo on July 4, while a 75-year-old suspect, Alhaji Babani, was apprehended with 15 kilograms of skunk at Kurgwi in Qua’anpan Local Government Area of Plateau State on July 3.
The agency also reported a major cannabis seizure in Gombe State, where operatives acting on intelligence arrested Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area on July 1. The suspects were found with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing a total of 556 kilograms.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse sensitization campaign in schools, workplaces, places of worship and communities nationwide. NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers in the MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe commands for the arrests and seizures, urging personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s drug supply reduction efforts alongside public education campaigns.
