LAGOS SEPTEMBER 8TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker fitted with a concealed compartment containing 2,145kg of cannabis, in a major breakthrough in its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.
The tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, was intercepted along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway in Ondo State on Friday, 4 September 2026, after its driver allegedly refused to stop when flagged down by NDLEA operatives.
The driver later abandoned the tanker on the premises of a church in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the bush.
A search of the vehicle subsequently revealed a specially constructed false compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis, weighing 2,145kg, concealed alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.
The agency said the tanker had become notorious for evading arrest in the past, making its interception a significant achievement in efforts to disrupt sophisticated methods being adopted by drug traffickers to move illicit substances across the country.
The latest operation formed part of a coordinated nationwide crackdown that also resulted in the recovery of large consignments of opioids, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and other controlled substances in nine states.
At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at more than N1.1 billion, concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment from Pakistan.
The agency also seized 57.80kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, worth more than N173 million, hidden inside cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment from Singapore.
At the Tincan Port in Lagos, another 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies, packed in 890 packets, was intercepted in a 40-foot container. The consignment was linked to three suspects who were earlier arrested over the seizure of 842.54kg of similar drug-laced confectionery.
In Adamawa State, operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills, particularly tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect, while a suspected major supplier of methamphetamine from Lagos to Mubi and Michika, 35-year-old Calistus Ebubechukwu, was arrested with 2kg of the illicit drug.
The NDLEA also reported the seizure of 1,179kg of skunk from a truck loaded with cement along the Zaria-Kano Expressway in Kaduna State.
In Kogi State, three suspects were arrested with 636kg of cannabis concealed in chicken manure aboard a bus travelling from Owo, Ondo State, to Jos, Plateau State.
Similarly, in Taraba State, a 58-year-old suspect, Kelechi Unachukwu, was arrested with more than 109kg of assorted controlled pharmaceutical substances, including tramadol, diazepam, pentazocine, phenobarbital and pregabalin.
The nationwide operations also led to the arrest of a convicted cocaine trafficker, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, who allegedly operated under the cover of a herbal tea business and was tracked following the interception of 1.2kg of cocaine destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA chairman and chief executive officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s intelligence-driven approach to drug control.
Marwa particularly warned traffickers who attempt to evade detection by changing identities or hiding their criminal activities behind legitimate businesses that they would continue to be tracked down.
The NDLEA said its operations were complemented by its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, communities, worship centres and workplaces across the country.
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