Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a shipment of high-grade illicit drugs concealed inside water purifier machines imported from the Netherlands, in an operation that also led to arrests and large-scale seizures across several states.
The discovery was made on May 26, 2026, at a courier facility, where officers intercepted 3 kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA carefully hidden within the appliances.
According to a statement on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency said the drugs were part of a consignment shipped into Lagos from the Netherlands and were disguised to evade detection.
Beyond the courier interception, the agency also carried out coordinated operations in Kaduna, Niger, and Enugu States, resulting in the arrest of suspects and recovery of significant quantities of narcotics and ammunition.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives arrested Musa Sunday, Mercy Sunday, and Salomi Ezekiel after raiding their residence in the Gonin Gora area on May 24, where they recovered 100 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 1,246 kilograms.
On the same day, along the Abuja–Kaduna expressway at Jere, officers intercepted a 30-year-old suspect, Sunusi Musa, who was found in possession of 380 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition allegedly bound for Katsina State. He was subsequently handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
In Niger State, acting on intelligence, NDLEA officials raided a warehouse in Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area on May 27, where they recovered 457 kilograms of skunk. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Godwin Zakka at his residence in Minna in connection with the seizure.
In Enugu State, on May 28, operatives intercepted a commercial vehicle along the Onitsha–Enugu highway, recovering 22,000 tramadol tablets, 100 ampoules of pentazocine, and 200 grams of bromazepam. One suspect, James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested during the operation.
The NDLEA also disclosed that its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued across the country, with sensitisation lectures held in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities in states including Cross River, Taraba, Lagos, and Anambra.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the operatives for sustained enforcement efforts and urged them to intensify the nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks while maintaining preventive education campaigns.