LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old widow who was allegedly using a fake pregnancy to smuggle cocaine. The agency also announced the destruction of major cannabis farms and the seizure of thousands of kilograms of illicit drugs in recent nationwide operations.
The suspect, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, was apprehended on Friday at a bus terminal in Lagos while attempting to deliver 1.3 kilograms of cocaine to customers in Abuja. A subsequent raid on her home led to the recovery of 200 grams of cocaine cutting agents. According to the NDLEA, the fashion designer confessed to taking over the drug trade from her late husband, who died two years ago.
The arrest is part of a series of large-scale operations across the country. In Lagos, authorities seized 48.6 kilograms of a high-grade cannabis strain known as “Loud,” which was reportedly imported from the United States. Other operations resulted in the seizure of over 452,000 opioid pills in Kano, and the arrest of a suspect smuggling 5,000 tramadol capsules in Kogi.
The agency also conducted a major offensive against cannabis cultivation, destroying large-scale farms in four states:
- Delta: 25,500 kilograms of skunk on four plantations.
- Ondo: 25,025 kilograms on three farms.
- Edo: 14,233 kilograms across 5.6 hectares.
- Taraba: 7,500 kilograms on three hectares.
The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised the efforts of his officers, stating that the operations highlight the agency’s balanced approach of combining enforcement with public awareness campaigns to combat the drug problem.
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