By: Pentho Goldmark The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, alongside three...
By: Pentho Goldmark
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, alongside three Nigerian accomplices, Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb, following the interception of a massive consignment of tramadol pills valued at N3.9 billion.
The seizure involved 2,248,000 tramadol pills disguised as multi-vitamins and packed in 114 cartons. The shipment was imported from Delhi, India, and arrived aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on September 8, 2025.
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives had been monitoring the suspicious cargo since it arrived at the Lagos airport. “Our officers placed the consignment under surveillance, and on Saturday, they swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers who were trying to move the consignment in two trucks. The Indian businessman behind the deal was later arrested when he came to take delivery,” he said.
Babafemi explained that the bust reflects the cunning strategies drug syndicates employ to evade detection, but stressed that NDLEA remains a step ahead. “The cartel thought disguising the drugs as multi-vitamins would help them beat checks at the airport, but we had credible intelligence and kept watch until we were ready to move in,” he added.
The agency also carried out other operations across the country in the past week. At Lagos’ Terminal 2, a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, was arrested with 900 grams of cannabis concealed in a package of crayfish. This arrest led to the capture of his Qatar-based handler, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna. At Tincan Port, NDLEA operatives discovered 81.7 kilograms of Canadian Loud cannabis and 1.2 kilograms of hashish oil hidden in imported vehicles and spare parts, arresting two suspects. Another 65 kilograms of Loud was intercepted on the Third Mainland Bridge.
In Ikorodu, Lagos State, the NDLEA busted a Skuchies factory where 6,029 bottles of cannabis-infused drinks and 4.2 kilograms of cannabis were recovered. The factory manager was immediately arrested. In separate raids across Anambra, Kano, Abuja, Yobe, Edo, Ogun, and Oyo States, NDLEA agents seized quantities of methamphetamine, tramadol, heroin, and other narcotics, arresting several suspects in the process.
The agency also pointed to other recent breakthroughs as part of its sustained crackdown. In Taraba State, NDLEA destroyed a 71.5-hectare cannabis farm, yielding 178,750 kilograms of skunk, and arrested a 30-year-old suspect identified as Alfa Andrew. Between January and August 2025, the Oyo State Command arrested 280 suspects and secured 43 convictions for drug-related crimes.
Speaking on these efforts, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), praised the officers for their vigilance. “This seizure is a clear message to criminal syndicates that Nigeria will not be a safe haven for their drug trafficking operations. We will continue to track, intercept, and dismantle these criminal networks, no matter how sophisticated their methods,” Marwa said.
He added that the agency remains committed to safeguarding Nigerians from the destructive impact of illicit drugs. “Every pill we intercept is one less on the streets, one less in the hands of our youth. Our mandate is clear, and we will not relent,” he declared.
The NDLEA noted that its intensified operations target both the importation and local production of narcotics, as well as organized criminal groups within Nigeria and across international borders.
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