NDLEA Agents Seize Multiple Illegal Drugs Hidden in Coffee Sachets and Book Parcels Bound for Zambia and the UK
Femi Babafemi, the official spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), revealed that significant drug busts occurred at a Lagos-based courier firm on December 24th and 29th, 2025. The confiscated contraband included Ketamine, Ecstasy, and Tramadol tablets cleverly concealed within coffee mix sachets and parcels of books destined for Zambia and the United Kingdom.
In a related development, on January 2nd, 2026, NDLEA operatives apprehended 22 Indian nationals serving as crew members aboard the merchant ship MV Aruna Hulya. This followed the discovery of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine hidden in hatch 3 of the vessel at the GDNL terminal in Apapa Port, Lagos. The ship had originated from the Marshall Islands.
Babafemi identified those detained in connection with the cocaine seizure, including the ship’s captain, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside 21 other crew members: Bharati Manoj Kumar, Bhalerao Nilesh Mukund, Nadar Anthony Macson David, Kolusu Srinivasa Rao, Sagar Gaurav, Francis Anto Beemas Nester, Jagdeep Singh, Jai Parkash, Prabhukhan Singh, Nevage Sandesh Suresh, Pandey Prashant, Nittu Anand, Akash Babu, Dasari Raju, Reddy Nandika Sanjeeba, Rana Nivesh, Melethil Insaf Rahman, Barla Chantanya Krishna, Ghosh Arijit, Mondal Raihan, and Gangwar Shiv Om.
In another significant operation, NDLEA agents in Oyo State arrested a notorious female drug trafficker on December 29th, 2025. The suspect, Fatima Ilori, a 65-year-old grandmother widely known as Mama Kerosine, is recognized as a leading distributor of illegal narcotics in Ibadan, the state capital.
Babafemi disclosed that the arrest followed an intelligence-driven raid that led to the seizure of 238.4 kilograms of skunk cannabis linked to her activities. Alongside Mama Kerosine, another woman, 35-year-old Olusanya Abosede, was also taken into custody in the Onireke/Elekuro district of Ibadan.
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