NDLEA Finds Illicit Drugs Hidden in European Water‑Purifying Machines

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, announced that its operatives have uncovered consignments of illicit drugs hidden inside water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands to Lagos.

In a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the drugs were intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on 26 May 2026.

The seized substances included three kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, which were concealed within the water purifier machines.

In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives arrested a couple, Musa Sunday and Mercy Sunday, together with another suspect, Salomi Ezekiel, 38, after recovering 100 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 1,246 kilograms from their residence in the Gonin Gora area on 24 May.

On the same day, NDLEA officers patrolling the Abuja‑Kaduna Highway at Jere intercepted a 30‑year‑old suspect, Sunusi Musa, who was carrying 380 rounds of 7.62 mm military‑grade ammunition allegedly destined for Katsina State. The suspect and the ammunition were subsequently handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.

In Niger State, operatives acting on intelligence raided a warehouse in Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area, where 457 kilograms of skunk were recovered on 27 May. A suspect, Godwin Zakka, 46, was later arrested at his residence in Gbeganu, Minna, in connection with the seizure.

Meanwhile, in Enugu State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Onitsha‑Enugu Expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle traveling to Taraba State on 28 May. A search of the vehicle yielded 22,000 tramadol pills, 100 ampoules of pentazocine, and 200 grams of bromazepam. One suspect, James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested.

The agency also reported that its commands and formations across the country are continuing anti‑drug abuse sensitisation campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig‑Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the officers involved in the operations in Kaduna, Niger and Enugu states, as well as the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, for the arrests and seizures.

He urged personnel nationwide to maintain efforts aimed at reducing drug supply while intensifying public sensitisation against drug abuse.