A 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman, Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after officers found 13 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside fake plantain peels at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
NDLEA operatives arrested Barek at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport on Sunday, June 28, 2026. She was preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
Officers searched her luggage and found 31 large wraps of cocaine. The drugs had been shaped to look like plantain hands and packed with other food items. The cocaine weighed 13 kilograms.
Barek, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, admitted owning the drugs.
NDLEA also uncovered another cocaine shipment hidden inside the walls of nine cartons of Orijin Bitters. The cargo was heading to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The agency arrested 45-year-old Nwabueze Felix Onyeka in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday, June 29, 2026.
Onyeka is a PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia.
Investigators first intercepted 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms.
The drugs had been concealed inside the cartons of Orijin Bitters.
NDLEA arrested four suspects in Lagos during the investigation.
They include cargo agent Alalade Taiwo Azeez, driver Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi, trader Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie and Igwilo Chidi Henry, who supplied the cartons used to hide the drugs.
Investigators traced the operation to Onyeka. They later arrested him in his hometown of Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State, and identified him as the leader of the drug syndicate.
NDLEA operatives in Taraba arrested Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, on Saturday, July 4. Officers recovered 43,980 capsules of tramadol hidden inside two vehicle fuel tanks along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area.
He was travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State.
In Kaduna State, officers arrested Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, with 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine during a raid in Gwantu on Thursday, July 2.
fficers arrested Francis Ifara Eja, 65, with 231.7 kilograms of skunk in Ikwo, Ebonyi State, on Saturday, July 4. In Plateau State, they also arrested 75-year-old Alhaji Babani with 15 kilograms of skunk at Kurgwi in Qua’anpan Local Government Area on Friday, July 3.
In Gombe State, NDLEA operatives arrested Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, on Wednesday, July 1. Officers recovered 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.
NDLEA sustains anti-drug campaign
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaign. Officers visited schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the past week.
The agency held sensitisation lectures at Girls Secondary School, Abagana, Anambra State; Government Technical College, Obe, Enugu State; Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State; and FCE Staff Demonstration School, Kabuga, Kano State.
In response to the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers in the MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe Commands. He urged them to sustain the fight against drug trafficking while expanding drug abuse awareness across Nigeria.
External links
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
Murtala Muhammed International Airport
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
