NDLEA seizes Captagon drug in Kwara, arrests businessman who excreted cocaine

Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) continues its relentless campaign against illicit substances, with recent operations yielding significant seizures and arrests across the country. The agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, detailed a series of successful interdictions, underscoring the persistent threat posed by drug trafficking networks operating within and through Nigeria.

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The latest seizure of captagon, which street value costs as much as $25 a pill, was made on Tuesday 21st April 2026 when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu road, Kwara State, intercepted a trailer conveying passengers.

The interception of Captagon in Kwara State is particularly noteworthy. This highly addictive stimulant, primarily associated with conflict zones in the Middle East, represents a concerning expansion of its trafficking routes. The NDLEA's description of Captagon's effects—inducing euphoria, suppressing fatigue, and reducing fear—highlights its dangerous potential, especially when linked to its production and sale by militant groups for funding and combatant use.

In a separate, dramatic operation in Oyo State, NDLEA operatives apprehended a businessman who attempted to smuggle cocaine by ingesting it. The suspect, Eze Prince Emeka, excreted 45 pellets of cocaine, weighing over a kilogram, after being apprehended. His plan to evade detection by swallowing the drugs and then re-ingesting them for onward travel through trans-Saharan routes to Europe reveals the increasingly sophisticated and desperate methods employed by drug couriers.

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The suspect, who claims to be a businessman in Sokoto, was subsequently placed under close excretion observation during which he excreted a total of forty-five (45) pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 1.043 kilograms in three excretions.

These seizures, including large quantities of Tramadol, Tapentadol, Co-Codamol, and Bromazepam, demonstrate the breadth of the NDLEA's operational scope. The agency's continued success in disrupting drug trafficking networks is crucial for both national security and public health, combating the devastating impact of addiction and the criminal enterprises that profit from it. The NDLEA's vigilance is a critical bulwark against these pervasive threats.

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The decision to travel by road to Sokoto with the illicit drug in his stomach was to evade detection by NDLEA at the airport, while further investigation reveals that upon arrival in Sokoto, the suspect was to excrete the pellets, rest for a few days, and subsequently re-ingest the substances to continue the journey through the trans-Saharan routes, with Algeria as a transit point and possible final destination in Europe.