A 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after officers allegedly discovered 13 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine concealed inside fake plantain peels packed among food items in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The suspect, identified as Mrs Mary Yetunde Barek, who reportedly works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on 28 June 2026.
According to an NDLEA statement issued by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, a thorough search of her luggage led to the recovery of 31 large wraps of suspected cocaine, carefully packaged to resemble hands of plantain.
The illicit substance weighed approximately 13 kilogrammes.
The agency said the suspect admitted ownership of the seized drugs during interrogation.
PhD student arrested over cocaine shipment
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 45-year-old Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, a PhD student at the Universiti Putra Malaysia, in Ekwusigo Local Government Area over an alleged attempt to smuggle 5.8 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside the walls of nine cartons of Orijin Bitters destined for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The arrest followed the interception of the drug consignment and subsequent investigations, which initially led to the arrest of four
suspects in Lagos, including a cargo agent, a driver, a trader and another alleged accomplice linked to the shipment.NDLEA said further investigations identified Onyeka as the alleged leader of the syndicate, leading to his arrest at his village in Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State.
More arrests across Nigeria
The anti-narcotics agency also reported several other arrests across the country during the past week.
In Taraba State, operatives arrested Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, after allegedly recovering 43,980 capsules of Tramadol concealed inside the fuel tanks of two vehicles along the Wukari–Zaki-Biam road.
In Kaduna State, officers arrested Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, with 1.7 kilogrammes of methamphetamine.
Another suspect, Francis Ifara Eja, 65, was apprehended in Ebonyi State after officers allegedly recovered 231.7 kilogrammes of skunk.
Similarly, Alhaji Babani, 75, was arrested in Plateau State with 15 kilogrammes of skunk, while in Gombe State, two suspects were taken into custody after operatives allegedly seized 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilogrammes.
Marwa commends officers
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers from the agency’s commands involved in the operations. My
He praised their efforts in reducing the supply of illicit drugs while sustaining the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across schools, workplaces, places of worship and communities nationwide.
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