NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine And Opioid Wrapped In Prayer Beads, Others

The NDLEA has seized cocaine and opioid shipments destined for the US, Saudi Arabia, Poland, and Italy, some of which were cleverly hidden inside prayer beads and other items.

Frantic attempts by certain drug trafficking organizations (DTO) to transport illegal substances like Cocaine, Tramadol, Loud, Molly, and more, camouflaged within prayer beads, board game packages, and women’s clothing, targeting the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Poland, and United Arab Emirates via logistics companies and the Lagos airport, have been foiled by agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.

A press release from the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, reveals that at least two individuals linked to some of these thwarted efforts at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, have already been detained.

NDLEA intercepts cocaine and opioid wrapped in prayer beads, others
‘’One of them is a 43-year-old businesswoman, Jakpor Egware May who was nabbed at the Gate ‘C’ departure hall of the Lagos airport while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy on Saturday 8th March 2025.

When she was searched, 190 parcels of tramadol 225mg and another parcel of skunk, a strain of cannabis, were recovered from her luggage. In her statement, she claimed that she bought the drugs herself, with the intention to resell them in Italy.’’ the statement read.

At the export section of the Lagos airport, NDLEA officials on Tuesday 11th March apprehended a 60-year-old suspect, Yahaya Fatai Ayinla, while he was trying to dispatch a shipment containing clothing used to hide 400grams of skunk bound for New York, United States of America.

At various logistics firms in Lagos, attempts by drug smugglers to send out over two kilograms of Loud, Molly, Tramadol 365mg, and 225mg tucked inside Vitamin C bottles and women’s clothing to the US were stopped by NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI.

Additional consignments of 230grams of cocaine stashed in prayer beads, the soles of locally crafted shoes, and board game packs headed for Saudi Arabia, Poland, and UAE were likewise intercepted between Monday 10th and Wednesday 12th March.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli