An Indian businessman Gupta Ravi Kumar and three Nigerian accomplices identified as 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 agency in a statement released, said 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 the import shed of the Lagos airport on an on Ethiopian Airline flight on Monday 8th September 2025.
‘’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.”
In a related development, NDLEA operatives on September 7 at the terminal 2 departure gate of the airport, 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.
‘’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.
His confession led to the arrest of Uchenna who was still within view. Operatives who later 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 agency said
The NDLEA added that 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.
The agency further mentioned that 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.
