Operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have revealed that its operatives have discovered a new tactic used by traffickers who now hide illegal substances inside flight boarding passes.
Gatekeepers News reports that in an update shared on X with photos of the recovered items, Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the agency, said officers in Lagos recently exposed the unusual packaging method.
He warned parents, guardians, and the public to be vigilant, especially regarding deliveries made through dispatch riders, noting that drug traffickers are increasingly disguising contraband with everyday materials.
Babafemi wrote, “These may look like ordinary flight boarding passes, but hidden inside them are harmful substances such as Colos.”
“This is one of the new techniques used to distribute illicit drugs across city centres, as uncovered by NDLEA operatives in Lagos.”
“The merchants of death are becoming more creative with their packaging, but the NDLEA remains several steps ahead.”
In a statement, Babafemi revealed that the suspect behind the concealed passes, identified as Oluchi Celestine, was arrested in Lekki on November 18 with 2.6 kilogrammes of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis strain, some of which were tucked inside flight boarding cards and others packaged in branded containers.
According to him, another operation that same day led to the arrest of two members of a drug trafficking network in Onitsha, Anambra state.
The duo was apprehended when they arrived to pick up consignments containing 5.40 kilogrammes of methamphetamine; 10.70 kilogrammes of Loud; 16 grammes of cocaine; 200 grammes of phenacetin; 200 grammes of methcathinone; and 100 grammes of caffeine, all concealed in pressure machine cylinders imported from South Africa.
The statement reads, “The first to show up at a logistics company in Onitsha for the collection of the consignments was 30-year-old electrical appliances dealer Ebulue Lotanwa Uzochukwu who was promptly arrested while shortly after, another member of the syndicate, 51-year-old South Africa returnee Christopher Michael Ndibuisi showed up and was equally arrested.”
“The consignments had arrived the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja-Lagos with airway bill number 118-12882973 arriving from South Africa on a Tag-Angola flight on 13th November 2025 and was immediately seized based on credible intelligence.”
“A follow up sting operation was thereafter organized in Onitsha, Anambra state where the recipients: Uzochukwu and Ndibuisi were arrested.”
He said another interception at the Lagos airport on November 20 uncovered a brake servo auto part stuffed with 48 pellets and a block of cocaine weighing 2.30 kilogrammes. The parcel, destined for Gabon, was mixed with other auto parts.
He added, “Following the arrest of a freight agent Ameh Solomon who presented the consignment for export, a follow up at ASMPDA market, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo Lagos led to the arrest of an auto parts dealer Nwafor Tochukwu Boniface.”
“In Kogi state, NDLEA operatives on Monday 17th November intercepted a trailer conveying 4,700 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis at Kabba.”
“Three suspects: Solomon Dauda, Friday Garba and Daniel Danladi accompanying the consignment were arrested while a follow up operation in Jos, Plateau state on Friday 21st November led to the arrest of the kingpin who owns the trailer and the illicit drug consignment, Marcus Danladi Dan Mangu.”
NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, praised the officers for their efforts and urged them, alongside colleagues nationwide, to sustain the agency’s balanced strategy in combating drug trafficking.
