NDLEA Arrests Thailand Returnee With N3bn Heroin, Seizes N22bn Worth Of Opioids

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Simon Peter Oguejiofor, a Thailand returnee, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 13.30 kilograms of heroin valued at over N3.192 billion. The arrest took place on October 7, 2024.

Oguejiofor, who traveled from Thailand via Qatar Airways, had his luggage rerouted from Ghana to Lagos. He was intercepted by NDLEA officers while trying to retrieve two suitcases that contained six backpacks with large heroin parcels sewn into them.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Oguejiofor admitted he was promised $7,000 to deliver two parcels in Lagos and four in Accra, Ghana.

In a related operation, NDLEA operatives at three seaports — Lekki, Apapa, and Onne — seized large consignments of opioids with a combined street value of N22.7 billion between October 7 and 11. The haul included 32.6 million tramadol pills and over 1.4 million bottles of codeine syrup.

Further arrests were made in Anambra and Edo states, where suspects were found in possession of tramadol and cannabis, respectively, as the agency continues its fight against drug trafficking.