NDLEA Busts ‘Terror Drug’ Ring, Seizes Captagon in Kwara as Suspect Excretes Cocaine Pellets

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a shipment of Captagon, a potent amphetamine-based stimulant often associated with criminal networks, during a series of coordinated anti-drug operations across Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives disclosed that the seizure in Kwara State followed earlier intelligence from a bust at Apapa seaport in Lagos.

According to the agency, officers on patrol along Bode Saadu Road on April 21, 2026, intercepted a trailer conveying a suspect identified as Nasiru Mu’azu, 33. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 10,000 Captagon pills packaged in 10 parcels, alongside nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.

In a related operation at the same location on April 24, NDLEA operatives stopped another trailer and uncovered a large cache of pharmaceutical drugs concealed in a hidden compartment. Recovered items included 155,900 tramadol capsules, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injections, 3,000 tablets of co-codamol, and 9,000 tablets of bromazepam. A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, was arrested in connection with the seizure.

Meanwhile, in Oyo State, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Ibadan/Oyo Expressway, where a passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, 33, was found to have ingested illicit drugs. A body scan confirmed the suspicion, and the suspect later excreted 45 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.043 kilograms in three separate sessions.

Investigations revealed that the suspect planned to smuggle the drugs to Europe via trans-Saharan routes, transiting through Algeria after an initial stop in Sokoto.

In Edo State, operatives intercepted a truck along the Benin-Lagos Expressway on April 25, recovering 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids. Two suspects, Osagie Igbinibo, 43, and Omijie Malik, 44, were arrested, with the consignment reportedly destined for Onitsha, Anambra State.

Other operations across the country led to further seizures. In Lagos, a suspect, Rasheed Ibuowo, 40, was arrested with 810 kilograms of cannabis. In Bauchi State, authorities apprehended Muktar Bello, 35, with 288 blocks of skunk weighing 154.5 kilograms.

In Ekiti State, 466.8 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a residence, while in Cross River State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on farmland.

Additionally, in Niger State, 394 components suspected to be used for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from a 26-year-old suspect, Mohammed Aliyu, who has since been handed over to relevant security agencies.

Chairman of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved, describing the Captagon seizure as a major breakthrough in disrupting drug trafficking operations.

He warned that the drug remains highly sought after by traffickers due to its links to violence and insecurity, stressing that the agency will continue to intensify efforts to curb its circulation nationwide.