The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted a tramadol shipment from India disguised as multi-vitamins in 114 cartons arriving on Ethiopian Airlines flight on Monday, September 8, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

In a statement signed on Sunday, the agency’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, identified the importer as Indian businessman Gupta Ravi Kumar and three Nigerian accomplices, Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb.

 

According to the statement, the tramadol shipment is worth three billion nine hundred and ninety million naira in street value, imported from Delhi, and it arrived at the import shed of the Lagos airport.

The statement reads, “An Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar and three Nigerian accomplices: Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode and Bakare Korede Muheeb have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in connection with the seizure of Two Million Two Hundred and Forty-Eight Thousand (2,248,000) pills of tramadol 200mg/225mg intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

“The tramadol shipment worth Three Billion Nine Hundred and Ninety Million Naira (N3,990,000,000) in street value was imported from Delhi, India, disguised as multi-vitamins in 114 cartons and arrived at the import shed of the Lagos airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Monday, 8th September 2025.”

The statement further revealed that the consignment had earlier been put under surveillance by the agency before swooping on the clearing agent and two drivers who were attempting to move the shipment out of the airport in two trucks on Thursday.

NDLEA carried out a subsequent operation, which led to the arrest of the Indian businessman, who was waiting to take the delivery of the shipment.

“A team of NDLEA officers who had put the consignment under surveillance, however, swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers who were trying to move the shipment out of the airport in two trucks on Thursday, 11th September.

“A follow-up operation the following day, Friday, led to the arrest of the Indian businessman Gupta Ravi Kumar, when he was trying to take delivery of the consignment,” the statement concluded.

In another operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted one Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi a first time traveler at the terminal 2 departure gate of MMIA where he was boarding to jet out to Doha in an Qatar Airline flight with bag of 900grams of skunk and strain of cannabis concealed in crayfish.

The statement reads, “At the terminal 2 departure gate of the airport, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 7th September intercepted a passenger Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi travelling on a Qatar Airline flight to Doha.

“A search of his bag led to the recovery of 900grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis concealed in crayfish.”

According to the statement Ifeanyi accepted to help take the bag to Doha from one Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna who also followed him to the airport. Ifeanyi’s confession led to the arrest of Uchenna who was within the airport and a search was conducted at his apartment where several exhibits was recovered.

“As a first-time traveler, Onyeganochi claimed the bag was given to him to help take to Doha by a Qatar-based Nigerian Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna who actually followed him to the airport.

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“His confession led to the arrest of Uchenna who was still within view, operatives conducted a search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao estate discovered additional 200grams of the same psychoactive substance.

“He claimed he was to return to Doha days later and pick the bag from the unsuspecting Onyeganochi if he had succeeded escaping security checks,” the statement revealed.

At the Tincan port in Lagos, a total of 161 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 81.7kg and 1.2kg hashish oil were recovered from a 40ft container of vehicle spare parts and used vehicles imported from Montreal Canada during a joint examination of the shipment on Tuesday 9th September.

Two suspects, John Ochigbo, 53, and Okeke Kingsley, 26, have been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.

Another shipment of Canadian Loud with a total weight of 65kg was tracked from the port to Third Mainland bridge where NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle conveying the consignment, recovered it and arrested the driver Abubakar Ibrahim, 42 on Thursday 11th September.

Two separate shipments of methamphetamine concealed in picture frame and Loud, hidden in video players were seized at two courier companies in Lagos on Monday 8th and Thursday 11th September respectively by NDLEA operatives.

While six grams of meth recovered from the picture frame were meant for delivery in Gabon, 1.1kg Loud in the decoder machines was heading to the United Arab Emirate.

In Ikorodu area of Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence on Thursday 11th September raided a factory producing skuchies, a blend of cannabis and black currant drink.

No less than 6, 029 bottles of the new psychoactive substance and 4,232kg of cannabis were recovered from the factory located in Caritas, Ibeshe area of Ikorodu while the factory manager Joy Awosika was arrested.

Another suspect, Akeem Oriola was same day arrested in Mushin area of Lagos with 26kg skunk.

In Abuja, NDLEA operatives on a stop and search operation at Utako area of the FCT on Thursday 11th September arrested a dispatch rider Godsplan Vincent, 29, while on a mission to distribute 50.7grams of cocaine and 66grams of Loud.

Three female suspects: Faidat Azeez, 25; Alanu Fatimoh, 40, and Mojeed Taiwo, 25, were arrested in Lagbondoko and Akitan areas of Oyo town, Oyo State in connection with the seizure of 17kg skunk found in their possession.

TVC previously reported that the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested three members of an international organised criminal group operating between Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia and the United Arab Emirates in connection with a N5.3 billion worth of cocaine confined in textile materials bound for Sydney, Australia at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.

This major success was disclosed in a statement signed on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, stating that the intelligence on the drug syndicates began on Tuesday, 26th August 2025, following the uncovering of 76 cartons of textile materials going to Sydney by officers of NDLEA at the export shed of the Lagos airport.

https://www.tvcnews.tv/ndlea-bust-drug-cartel-recovers-n5-3b-australia-bound-cocaine/