NDLEA warns of new drug trafficking tactic via Sahara road routes

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has raised concern over a dangerous new method being adopted by drug traffickers, who now ingest illicit substances to move them across land routes through the Sahara Desert toward North Africa and Europe.

In a statement shared on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the shift is a response to tighter security and improved surveillance at airports, which have made air travel increasingly risky for traffickers.

He explained that suspects now swallow drug pellets before embarking on long overland journeys from southern Nigeria to the northern region and across the desert, with planned stopovers to excrete and re-ingest the substances.

Babafemi described the practice as highly dangerous and questioned the extreme lengths traffickers are willing to go to avoid detection. He added that the trend could result in more cases of roadside excretion as NDLEA officers intensify monitoring along highways nationwide.

A video accompanying the statement showed NDLEA operatives intercepting a suspect and recovering several yellowish, condom-wrapped pellets believed to contain illicit drugs. The substances were arranged for documentation and subjected to field testing using chemical reagents to confirm their composition.

The agency noted that the development comes amid its ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking networks across both air and land routes, following recent cases involving individuals attempting to smuggle drugs through commercial flights.