Odita Sunday 
NDLEA Nabs 22 Indian Crew Over 31.5kg Cocaine, Intercepts Drugs Hidden in Coffee Sachets
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded another major breakthrough in its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking with the interception of illicit drugs concealed in coffee sachets and the arrest of 22 Indian crew members of a foreign vessel over a large cocaine shipment in Lagos.
According to the Agency, various quantities of Ketamine, Ecstasy and Tramadol pills were discovered concealed inside sachets of coffee mix and parcels of books heading to Zambia and the United Kingdom. The seizures were made at a courier company in Lagos on December 24 and 29, 2025.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives at the GDNL Terminal, Apapa Seaport, Lagos, on Friday, January 2, 2026, uncovered 31.5 kilograms of cocaine hidden in Hatch 3 of a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, which originated from the Marshall Islands.
Reacting to the development, the Director, Media & Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the Agency immediately took into custody 22 Indian crew members, including the Master of the Vessel, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, for further investigation.
“The arrest of the entire crew became necessary following the discovery of 31.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside the ship. Investigations are ongoing to determine the level of complicity of each suspect,” Babafemi stated.
He listed other detained crew members to include Bharati Manoj Kumar, Bhalerao Nilesh Mukund, Nadar Anthony Macson David, Kolusu Srinivasa Rao, Sagar Gaurav, Jagdeep Singh, Jai Parkash, Prabhukhan Singh and others.
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a wanted female drug kingpin, Fatima Ilori, popularly known as Mama Kerosine, during an intelligence-led operation in Ibadan. The 65-year-old grandmother was apprehended alongside Olusanya Abosede, 35, following the seizure of 238.4 kilograms of skunk linked to her.
Babafemi said the Agency also disrupted the supply chain of illicit drugs to insurgents in Borno State with the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of thousands of Tramadol injections and capsules along major routes.
Other seizures were recorded in Lagos, Kwara and Jigawa States, where large consignments of skunk, tramadol and diazepam were recovered in coordinated operations across the country.
Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged sustained pressure on drug traffickers nationwide.
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