NDLEA Uncovers Drugs Hidden in Fake Boarding Passes

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Sunday said drug traffickers now hide illicit substances inside items disguised as ordinary flight boarding passes.

The Agency Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, in a post on the microblogging site X, said operatives discovered the method in Lagos while tracking dispatch-based drug distribution networks.

Disclosing the findings, Babafemi explained that traffickers increasingly rely on everyday-looking packages to move narcotics across cities, exploiting dispatch riders to deliver substances such as “Colos,” a psychoactive drug, without raising suspicion.

He urged parents, guardians and the general public to closely monitor the contents of deliveries received by young people, warning that traffickers now embed drugs within items that appear harmless.

Babafemi emphasised the risk in a series of posts, stating, “These may appear as ordinary flight boarding passes but neatly concealed in them are dangerous substances such as Colos.”

He added that the discovery reflects an evolving tactic: “This is one of the new methods of distributing illicit drugs in cities as uncovered by NDLEA Nigeria operatives in Lagos.”

He further warned families to be more attentive to deliveries made to their children, saying, “This is another wake-up call to parents and guardians to pay attention to what dispatch riders are delivering to their children and wards.”

Babafemi also noted traffickers’ increasing creativity, stressing that the agency remains vigilant:
“The merchants of death are getting more disingenuous with their packaging but #NDLEA is surely steps ahead of them.”

According to the Agency, it will intensify monitoring of dispatch-based drug distribution channels and continue to expose concealment strategies used by traffickers as part of its ongoing urban drug-control operations.

Earlier on Friday November 21, 2025, NDLEA announced the interception of a Brazil-origin vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos after uncovering 20 kilograms of cocaine concealed beneath its cargo.

The agency discovered the illicit consignment on Sunday, 16 November 2025, during a routine inspection of the ship, which arrived from the port of Santos, Brazil.

NDLEA officers immediately took the Master of the vessel, Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, and 19 Filipino crew members into custody as part of an ongoing investigation.

According to Babafemi, the crew members were detained following the discovery of the concealed narcotics.

Following the arrests, the agency sought and obtained a court order to keep the vessel and its crew in custody pending further inquiries.

Babafemi explained that the NDLEA’s ex parte motion, filed under suit number FHC/L/MISC/1306/25, was presented before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

He stated, “The motion ex parte in suit number FHC/L/MISC/1306/25 was argued before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, who on Thursday 20th November 2025 granted the application for an initial 14-day detention of the vessel, Capt. Corpus and 19 other Filipino crew members.”

Preliminary findings by the NDLEA revealed that the vessel was arriving in Nigeria and the African continent for the first time.

Investigators also established that the ship had predominantly operated between Colombia and Brazil, transporting coal.

Captain Corpus, officials noted, had only served on the vessel for about three months.

This seizure comes barely six months after ten Thai sailors and their ship were convicted and fined $4.3m for bringing 32.9kg of cocaine into Nigeria,

This seizure comes barely six months after ten Thai sailors and their ship were convicted and fined $4.3m for bringing 32.9kg of cocaine into Nigeria,

Their case, which began with an arrest on 13 October 2021 aboard MV Chayanee Naree, culminated in a judgment delivered on 15 May 2025 by Justice Daniel Osiagor, who imposed a $4.3m fine on the crew.

Nine Nigerian suspects were arrested in connection with that case.

Reacting to the new seizure involving MV Nord Bosporus, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa described the operation as further proof of the agency’s expanded capacity to disrupt international drug trafficking networks.

Marwa said, “We will continue to tighten our grip on all entry and exit points, especially our seaports, which transnational criminal organisations have historically attempted to exploit.

“Let this be an unambiguous message to every international drug cartel and every internal collaborator: Nigeria is not, and will never be, your space or your foothold.

“The NDLEA is operating with zero tolerance, and we will not permit any illicit drug to pass through our borders, whether by air, land, or sea.

“You may scheme, you may attempt sophisticated concealment, but you will fail. Our intelligence network, collaboration with international partners, and the dedication of our officers are steps ahead of your nefarious activities.”

Marwa issued further warnings to Nigerians who collaborate with foreign syndicates, stressing the gravity of their involvement in the drug trade.

He noted, “You are not just committing a crime; you are betraying your nation’s future.

“The consequences of aiding and abetting drug trafficking will be severe and unrelenting.

“We are committed to using the full force of the law to dismantle your structures, seize your illicit assets, and secure your long-term incarceration”, he warned.