NDLEA Arrests 67-Year-Old Nigerian-British Grandmother with 13kg Cocaine Hidden in Fake Plantain

A 67-year-old grandmother allegedly turned an everyday Nigerian food item into a sophisticated drug concealment method. But what looked like ordinary plantain reportedly hid millions of naira worth of cocaine—until NDLEA operatives uncovered the shocking plot at Lagos airport.

What appeared to be ordinary plantain in a grandmother’s luggage turned out to be a sophisticated drug concealment operation. The shocking discovery at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport has led to the arrest of a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman and exposed what the NDLEA says is part of a wider crackdown on international drug trafficking networks.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mary Barek, at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside fake plantain peels to London. The agency also announced multiple nationwide drug arrests involving cocaine, tramadol, methamphetamine and cannabis.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mrs. Mary Barek, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside fake plantain peels through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The arrest highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods allegedly being adopted by drug trafficking syndicates to evade security checks, as the anti-narcotics agency intensifies its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect, a United Kingdom-based caregiver, was apprehended at the departure hall of Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on Sunday, June 28.

Babafemi said a detailed search of the suspect’s luggage led to the discovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine, carefully designed to resemble hands of plantain and packed alongside other food items.

“A thorough search of her bags resulted in the discovery of 31 big wraps of cocaine which were packaged to appear like plantain hands, weighing a total of 13 kilograms. In her statement, the elderly woman admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits,” Babafemi stated.

NDLEA Busts Alleged International Drug Syndicate

In a related operation, the agency announced the arrest of a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, for allegedly attempting to export cocaine concealed inside cartons of Orijin Bitters destined for Kuala Lumpur.

According to Babafemi, Onyeka was arrested on June 29 in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State after investigators identified him as the alleged leader of an international drug trafficking syndicate.

The agency disclosed that operatives had earlier intercepted 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms, hidden within the walls of nine cartons of the herbal alcoholic beverage in a consolidated cargo shipment bound for Malaysia.

Investigations also led to the arrest of four other suspects in Lagos. They include the cargo agent, Alalade Taiwo Azeez; the driver who transported the consignment, Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi; a trader at ASPANDA Market, Trade Fair Complex, Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie; and Igwilo Chidi Henry, who allegedly supplied the specially prepared cartons used to conceal the illicit drugs.

“The efforts eventually paid off, leading to the unmasking of Nwabueze hiding in his village, Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State, as the leader of the syndicate,” Babafemi said.

Massive Drug Seizures Across Nigeria
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives sustained coordinated anti-drug operations across several states.

In Taraba State, operatives arrested Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area on July 4, recovering 43,980 capsules of Tramadol concealed inside two specially modified vehicle fuel tanks.

Similarly, operatives raided Gwantu in Kaduna State, where they arrested Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, recovering 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.

In Ebonyi State, Francis Ifara Eja, 65, was arrested at Ikwo with 231.7 kilograms of skunk, while Alhaji Babani, 75, was apprehended in Kurgwi, Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, with 15 kilograms of skunk.

In Gombe State, NDLEA operatives arrested Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, after recovering 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.

NDLEA Sustains Anti-Drug Awareness Campaign

Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through awareness programmes in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities nationwide.

Babafemi disclosed that sensitisation exercises were recently conducted at Girls Secondary School, Abagana (Anambra State); Government Technical College, Obe (Enugu State); Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu Ode (Ogun State); and the FCE Staff Demonstration School, Kabuga (Kano State), among other locations.

Commending officers involved in the successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the commands for combining aggressive drug enforcement with sustained public enlightenment.

According to Babafemi, Marwa “commended the officers and men of MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures,” noting that “their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitisation activities,” while urging all commands nationwide to continue raising the agency’s operational standards.