The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a social media-based drug network distributing illicit substances disguised as imported Christmas cookies and snacks in the Lekki area of Lagos.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi confirmed the operation in a statement on Sunday, saying two key suspects Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi—were arrested after a raid on their hideout.
“Operatives have uncovered and dismantled a social media network used to distribute illicit substances packaged as Christmas cookies and snacks,” Babafemi said, adding that the suspects had imported Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and packaged it in colourful designer sachets labeled as snacks for retail sale.
The raid, conducted on Saturday, November 22, followed credible intelligence on the syndicate’s activities, which were coordinated through a WhatsApp group. NDLEA officers stormed an apartment on Ojulari Street, Ikate, Lekki, recovering a large stash of designer packaging alongside 5 kilograms of Loud.
In a separate Lagos operation, NDLEA officers arrested 38-year-old drug kingpin, Philip Ucheka, at Ladipo, Mushin, while he was receiving 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6 kilograms. Three delivery vehicles used in the distribution network were also impounded.
Babafemi further disclosed that NDLEA operatives intercepted 100 grams of Loud hidden inside a teddy bear imported from Thailand at a courier company, while another operation uncovered 548 tramadol capsules concealed in Vitamin C and Magnesium bottles bound for the United Kingdom.
The crackdown extended to Oyo State, where officers arrested 55-year-old Wasiu Kareem with a large cache of pharmaceutical opioids, including 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine, 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 1,500 Co-codamol pills, and 9,900 tramadol capsules.
Babafemi said the agency remains committed to disrupting drug trafficking networks across Nigeria, stressing that the operations underscore the NDLEA’s “relentless drive to protect communities from dangerous substances.”
