How NDLEA Busted Cannabis in Microwaves, Cocaine Hidden in Lipsticks

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of illegal drugs concealed in unusual items, including cannabis hidden inside microwaves and cocaine embedded in female lipsticks, as the agency intensifies its crackdown on drug trafficking.

According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the drugs were intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, as they were being smuggled out of Nigeria to Guinea and the United Kingdom.

In one operation, operatives, acting on credible intelligence, searched a consolidated cargo shipment that arrived via Ethiopian Airlines from Bangkok, Thailand, through Addis Ababa. During the inspection on July 7, they discovered 23 parcels of Loud—a potent strain of cannabis—weighing 11.3kg, cleverly concealed inside newly imported microwave ovens. A suspect, Ezenwegbu Chike, has since been arrested in connection with the discovery.

In a separate bust, NDLEA officers at the airport’s export shed intercepted 400 grams of cocaine and phenacetin, a cutting agent, concealed inside 84 lipsticks. The lipsticks were part of a cargo package heading to Malabo, Guinea, which also contained hair extensions and cosmetics. The agency linked this seizure to Ezeikwelume Prince Afam, a businessman operating at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, who was arrested on Friday, July 11.

The agency also recorded a breakthrough in a long-standing investigation into a major drug trafficking ring. After evading arrest for nearly 12 months, a notorious drug kingpin identified as Omeogo was finally apprehended on Wednesday, July 9, at his wife’s shop in the Ijesha Market area of Lagos.

The NDLEA had been on Omeogo’s trail since August 7, 2024, when operatives intercepted 9kg of cocaine from a suspect linked to his network. Further investigations led to the January 2025 arrest of his wife, Maureen, who was caught with 500 grams of cocaine at her beverage store. She was later convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.

Unaware that he remained a person of interest, Omeogo resurfaced in public last week and was promptly arrested by NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit.