NDLEA Arrests Businesswoman for Smuggling Cocaine to China

On June 21, 2023, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested 38-year-old businesswoman Iwebema Ogechi Peac at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos while she attempted to smuggle 7.5 kilograms of cocaine to China. The suspect claimed she was a trader traveling to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria.

During a thorough search of her luggage, NDLEA officials discovered four large parcels of cocaine concealed in a professionally designed false compartment at the bottom of her suitcase. Additionally, NDLEA operations intercepted a shipment of 4,959 kilograms of Canadian loud, a potent strain of cannabis, valued at N12.39 billion.

This illicit consignment was hidden in a 40-foot container containing a Ford Nissan vehicle, recovered during a joint examination involving NDLEA and Nigeria Customs Service officials at the Apapa port in Lagos. The agency had surveilled the shipment for four weeks, tracking its movement from Toronto, Canada, through Montreal and Morocco before arriving in Lagos.