The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Nwankwo Innocent Onyebuchi, with 1.550 kilograms of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while attempting to travel to New Delhi, India.

Nwankwo, who deals in marble in Lagos, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II of the airport while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to India.

According to the NDLEA, the cocaine was cleverly concealed within the side walls and railings of his check-in bag.

The agency disclosed this in a statement by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.

Babafemi said the suspect confessed that he had liquidated his marble business and other assets to raise N23 million to purchase the consignment.

He reportedly intended to sell the cocaine in India for as much as N100 million.

The NDLEA said the arrest had effectively shattered the suspect’s plan to make quick riches through illicit drug trafficking.

In a separate operation, operatives of the agency raided a warehouse located within a residential compound on Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos, where they recovered a huge stockpile of codeine-based syrup.

The operation, conducted between Friday, August 7, and Saturday, August 8, 2026, followed credible intelligence received by the agency.

A total of 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of the controlled substance were recovered from the warehouse.

The NDLEA put the street value of the seized codeine-based syrup at more than N2.6 billion.

In another intelligence-led operation, operatives raided the residence of a suspected drug kingpin, 55-year-old Shoremi Kayode, at Ogundare Street, Ipaja Estate, Ipaja area of Lagos.

During the operation, the agency recovered 324 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, valued at N972 million.

Two vehicles—a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla—were also recovered from the suspect’s residence.

The latest seizures bring the value of the major drug consignments recovered in the operations to more than N3.6 billion.