The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended two suspected drug kingpins at Nigerian airports, who collectively excreted 125 wraps of heroin. On February 2, 2025, at Port Harcourt International Airport, 30-year-old Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus was intercepted using a Sierra Leonean passport under the name Kargbo Mohamed Foday. A body scan revealed he had ingested illicit drugs, and under observation, he excreted 62 wraps of heroin weighing 1.348 kilograms. Investigations indicated that Sylvanus alternated between Nigerian and Sierra Leonean passports for drug trafficking across countries including Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West Africa. He admitted to fully engaging in the drug trade in 2017 after his clothing and shoe business collapsed.

In a separate incident on February 1, 2025, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, 48-year-old James Chinoso was arrested after arriving from Madagascar via Ethiopia. A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, and he subsequently excreted 63 wraps of heroin weighing 909 grams. Chinoso reportedly turned to drug trafficking after his phone accessories business in Liberia failed.

These arrests are part of NDLEA's intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking across Nigeria. In other operations, the agency intercepted 2.82 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, smuggled from the United States and destined for Lagos. Additionally, 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection concealed in cartons were seized from a logistics firm in Lagos en route to Canada. In Kano, operatives arrested individuals with 15,396 tramadol pills hidden in a gas cylinder and 27 blocks of skunk (15 kg of cannabis). On the Kabba-Obajana Highway in Kogi State, 12,800 tramadol 250mg pills were intercepted, and 65 parcels of Colorado (1.6 kg of synthetic cannabis) destined for Jigawa State were recovered. The NDLEA has vowed to intensify crackdowns on drug syndicates nationwide.