The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested an ex-convict, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, alongside three cargo agents, over the attempted exportation of cocaine concealed in liquid starch sachets and bound for the United Kingdom.
The agency said operatives recovered 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilogrammes at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. The illicit drugs were hidden inside factory-sealed cold water starch sachets.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, three cargo agents identified as Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun and Igwe Chioma Jane were arrested on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in connection with the consignment.
Babafemi said further investigations led operatives to 37-year-old Nwobodo, described as the mastermind behind the shipment. He was arrested the following day at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.
“A notorious drug trafficker, Nwobodo Basil, previously convicted of dealing in 30.10kg of methamphetamine in 2023, has again been arrested by NDLEA operatives following the seizure of 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilogrammes concealed in factory-sealed sachets of cold water starch heading to the United Kingdom,” the statement said.
It added that the three cargo agents were apprehended before investigators traced the shipment to Nwobodo, who was arrested during a follow-up operation while on a date with his girlfriend.
According to Babafemi, NDLEA records showed that the suspect was earlier arrested in May 2023 over the seizure of 30.10 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers and destined for London.
“He was subsequently arraigned before a Federal High Court, convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment with an option of a seven million naira fine and one month community service. He paid the fine and soon returned to the same criminal activity,” Babafemi said.
The agency also disclosed other arrests across the country. In Gombe State, a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, was arrested along the Gombe Biu highway while conveying 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 27,900 pills of tramadol, among other opioids, en route to Borno State.
In Lagos, a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, also known as Brown, was arrested in connection with an earlier seizure of 26 kilogrammes of cannabis, popularly known as loud, at the Tincan seaport.
“The drug consignment was intercepted on December 10 during a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies, while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the suspect in Apapa,” the statement added.
Babafemi further said NDLEA operatives destroyed drug warehouses and seized large quantities of cannabis in Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos and Taraba states between December 21 and 25, 2025, with several suspects taken into custody.
He said the agency remained committed to dismantling drug trafficking networks and preventing illicit drugs from reaching local and international markets.
