The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 45-year-old PhD student over an alleged attempt to export 5.8 kilograms of cocaine concealed in cartons of Orijin Bitters bound for Malaysia.

The agency also arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after allegedly recovering 13 kilograms of cocaine disguised as plantain peels in her luggage.

In a statement, the NDLEA said the PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, was arrested during a sting operation in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on June 29.

According to the agency, the arrest followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.8 kilograms, allegedly hidden inside the walls of nine cartons of Orijin Bitters in a cargo shipment destined for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The NDLEA said investigations first led to the arrest of four suspects in Lagos, including a cargo agent, a driver, a trader and a supplier of the cartons, before operatives tracked Onyeka to his hometown in Ozubulu, Anambra State, where he was arrested and identified as the alleged leader of the syndicate.

In a separate operation, operatives arrested Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, a Nigerian-British citizen, at the departure hall of MMIA while she was preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.

The agency said a search of her luggage uncovered 31 wraps of cocaine weighing 13 kilograms, packaged to resemble plantain hands and concealed among food items. According to the NDLEA, the suspect admitted ownership of the drugs during interrogation.

In Taraba State, operatives arrested Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area, where 43,980 capsules of Tramadol were allegedly recovered from two vehicle fuel tanks.

In Kaduna State, two suspects, Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, were arrested during a raid in Gwantu Local Government Area, with officers allegedly recovering 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.

In Ebonyi State, Francis Ifara Eja, 65, was arrested with 231.7 kilograms of skunk, while in Plateau State, Alhaji Babani, 75, was apprehended with 15 kilograms of the substance.

The agency also said two suspects were arrested in Gombe State, where operatives allegedly recovered 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms.

Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, workplaces and communities across the country.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts to curb drug trafficking while intensifying public awareness against drug abuse.