NDLEA operatives have uncovered a major international drug trafficking scheme involving cocaine hidden in tins of palm kernel oil destined for the United Kingdom. The breakthrough occurred on March 11, 2026, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where agents seized 3.10 kilograms of cocaine from modified containers at the export shed. The shipment was disguised as a legal export, with traffickers draining oil from the tins, inserting the drugs, and resealing them to avoid detection. Spokesperson Femi Babafemi described the method as deliberate and highly meticulous.
Two suspects, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were arrested at the scene. A follow-up operation on April 2 led to the arrest of the sender, Ezemuwo Joel, who used a false identity. His capture enabled agents to track down the alleged mastermind, 52-year-old King Arinze, apprehended in Isolo, Lagos. At his Bucknor warehouse, authorities recovered 886 palm kernel oil tins prepared for drug concealment, industrial sealing tools, paint sprays, and small quantities of cannabis. Arinze admitted to personally overseeing the concealment process.
Separate operations across Nigeria yielded significant seizures: 48,000 tramadol pills in Adamawa, 351 kilograms of skunk in Ondo, 15 kilograms in Osun, 28,600 tramadol capsules in Benue, 1,378 kilograms of skunk in Edo, and the arrest of alleged dealer Ayantola Omodunmomi in Ibadan.
King Arinze didn't just hide drugs in palm kernel oil—he exposed how deeply organised crime can infiltrate legitimate trade. The use of industrial tools and modified tins shows this was no small-time operation, but a calculated export model mimicking legal business. For Nigerian consumers, this means everyday goods could become unwitting carriers in a shadow economy. NDLEA's arrests are tactical wins, but the scale of the warehouse operation suggests the network may have been running undetected for months.
