Italy-Bound Businessman Arrested With Cocaine Hidden In Shoe Soles

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, after allegedly finding 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside the soles of shoes and railings of travelling bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Tunde was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.

According to the statement signed by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, on Sunday, its operatives subjected the suspect’s luggage to a thorough search and discovered 16 parcels of a white powdery substance concealed inside the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes.

Another 195 wraps of the substance were allegedly found hidden inside the railings of four travelling bags.

The agency said the substances tested positive for cocaine, with a combined weight of 4.80kg.

During interrogation, Tunde allegedly told investigators that he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was meant to be delivered to his partner in Italy.

He reportedly claimed that the money used to purchase the cocaine came from compensation he received after suffering an injury while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.

The arrest was part of a wider series of operations by the NDLEA in which the agency said it intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth more than N5 billion at major Nigerian seaports and recovered narcotics in several states.

At the Apapa Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, subjected two containers shipped from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 per cent examination alongside officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies.

The search of one of the containers reportedly led to the seizure of 161 parcels of Thai Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million.

The drugs were allegedly concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons.

At the Onne Port in Rivers State, NDLEA officers also intercepted two containers that had been placed on the agency’s watch list following intelligence.

A joint examination uncovered 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg, allegedly concealed inside a travelling bag and three vehicles — a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra — out of five vehicles shipped in one of the containers.

The second container reportedly contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.

The NDLEA said the container had originated from India and was shipped to Saudi Arabia, where its history of origin was allegedly deleted to prevent it from being targeted.

The agency put the combined street value of the codeine and Loud consignments seized at the Onne Port at N833.2 million.

At the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, September 29, also searched a watch-listed container shipped from Montreal, Canada.

The operation, conducted jointly with Customs and other stakeholders, resulted in the seizure of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg.

The consignment, concealed inside a Toyota Sienna and Hyundai Elantra alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags, was valued at more than N3.8 billion.

In Osun State, the agency said its operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk found on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area.

The operation was carried out on Wednesday, September 30.

In Plateau State, a 41-year-old suspect, Agbo Dennis, was arrested on Tuesday, September 29, around West of Mines in Jos North following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on Monday, September 28, where they recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol.

The agency also arrested 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo on Wednesday, September 30, during a follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market.

His arrest followed the seizure of 61 grammes of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grammes of methamphetamine allegedly concealed inside a bottle of an energy drink and sent as a waybill package through a commercial bus driver travelling along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.