NDLEA Seizes Europe-Bound Cocaine Hidden in Sanitary Pads, Hair Cream

In a series of coordinated operations, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted multiple consignments of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids disguised in sanitary pads and hair cream containers, bound for the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Cyprus.

NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the drugs were discovered at three courier companies in Lagos. In one case, 30 parcels of cocaine, weighing 1.1 kilograms and concealed in hair cream containers, were uncovered during a routine examination of cargo bound for Ireland on September 3, 2024.

Further inspections led to the interception of 24 additional cocaine parcels, weighing 862 grams, also hidden in hair cream containers, destined for the UK on September 6, 2024.

In another operation on September 3, NDLEA operatives seized 525 pills of tramadol (225mg) and ecstasy (MDMA) concealed in sanitary pads intended for shipment to Cyprus. The following day, on September 4, a separate shipment of 200 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injections, hidden among food items and herbs bound for London, was also confiscated.

A related bust on September 6 revealed another consignment of tramadol 225mg tablets hidden in granulated melon seeds en route from Cameroon to South Africa.

Meanwhile, at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State, a joint operation between the NDLEA and Nigerian Customs Service on September 3 resulted in the seizure of 550,000 tramadol pills from a cargo that arrived from Delhi, India. One suspect has been arrested in connection with the discovery.

Additionally, NDLEA operatives, supported by the Nigerian Army, raided three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti Forest Reserve in Ekiti State on September 3 and 4. Over 100,000 kilograms of cannabis, spread across 51 hectares of farmland, were destroyed in settlements that included Aba Saalaja, Aba Paanu, and Aba Arogunmatidi.