NDLEA intercepts ketamine concealed in water purifiers from Netherlands

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered consignments of illicit drugs hidden inside water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands, as part of a series of coordinated operations across several states.

The discovery was made on May 26, 2026, at a courier facility in Lagos, where officers recovered 3 kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA concealed within the appliances.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA confirmed that the drugs were carefully hidden in imported equipment.

The agency also reported multiple arrests and seizures in other parts of the country.

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

On the same day, along the Abuja–Kaduna highway at Jere, officers intercepted a suspect, Sunusi Musa, found with 380 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition reportedly en route to Katsina State. He and the recovered items were handed over to relevant authorities for further investigation.

In Niger State, a raid on a warehouse in Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area, on May 27 led to the seizure of 457 kilograms of skunk. A suspect, Godwin Zakka, was later arrested in Minna in connection with the find.

Similarly, in Enugu State, operatives on patrol along the Onitsha–Enugu expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle and recovered 22,000 tramadol pills, 100 ampoules of pentazocine and 200 grams of bromazepam. A suspect, James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested.

The agency added that its War Against Drug Abuse campaign continued nationwide, with sensitisation programmes held in schools, workplaces and communities across several states, including Cross River, Taraba, Lagos and Anambra.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers for their efforts and urged them to sustain the momentum in both enforcement and public awareness campaigns against drug abuse and trafficking.