The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered an elaborate drug-distribution network operating through social media platforms, where illicit substances were disguised as imported festive snacks and Christmas cookies.
Two alleged ringleaders were arrested in Lagos following an intelligence-driven operation.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that the syndicate had been using a WhatsApp-controlled distribution system to deliver high-grade cannabis and other psychoactive materials to clients across the city.
According to him, the suspects—identified as Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi—were apprehended after operatives stormed their apartment on Ojulari Street in the Ikate axis of Lekki.
During the raid, officers reportedly found a stockpile of colourful designer sachets branded with cookie and snack labels, alongside about five kilograms of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis believed to be the group’s main product.
The agency said the operation formed part of a wider campaign targeting drug-distribution cells in Lagos.
In another major breakthrough, NDLEA operatives arrested 38-year-old Philip Ucheka in the Ladipo area of Mushin.
Ucheka was allegedly taking delivery of 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing over 55 kilograms when he was intercepted. Officials also seized three vehicles said to have been used for deliveries.
The crackdown extended to courier companies in the state. One parcel containing 100 grams of Loud concealed inside a teddy bear imported from Thailand was intercepted by NDLEA officers.
In a separate operation, 548 capsules of tramadol hidden inside Vitamin C and magnesium supplement bottles destined for the United Kingdom, were seized at a logistics firm.
The anti-narcotics agency also made significant arrests in Oyo State.
A man identified as Wasiu Kareem, 55, was taken into custody after officers discovered an assortment of controlled substances in his possession, including 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine, nearly 600 bottles of codeine-based syrup, 1,500 Co-codamol tablets, and close to 10,000 tramadol capsules.
Babafemi noted that the series of operations demonstrate NDLEA’s commitment to dismantling drug networks exploiting festive seasons and digital platforms to evade detection.
