Two Nigerians living in Europe have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after allegedly swallowing 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46 kilogrammes in an attempt to smuggle the illicit drug from Nigeria to France.

The suspects, identified as Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, were intercepted on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, during the outward clearance of an Air France flight, AF 832, from Abuja to Paris at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The NDLEA said the arrests followed body scans conducted by its operatives, which revealed foreign objects in the suspects’ stomachs.

According to the agency, the two men subsequently admitted ingesting cocaine and were placed under observation. They later excreted all 200 wraps of the illicit substance.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests in a statement on Sunday, November 1, explaining that the suspects had travelled to Nigeria for holidays before attempting to return to Europe with the drugs.

Babafemi said Odife, who lives in France and reportedly works in a factory, arrived in Nigeria on October 21 for a short holiday.

He was intercepted while preparing to board his return flight after a body scan indicated that he had swallowed suspected drug pellets.

During interrogation, Odife reportedly admitted ingesting 110 wraps of cocaine. He was subsequently placed under observation and excreted all 110 wraps, which tested positive for cocaine and weighed 1.901 kilogrammes.

His co-traveller, Blackborn, also underwent a body scan, which reportedly revealed foreign objects in his stomach.

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The suspect allegedly confessed to swallowing 90 wraps of cocaine, which he later excreted under observation. The recovered substance weighed 1.559 kilogrammes.

The NDLEA said laboratory tests confirmed that the recovered substances contained cocaine, bringing the total quantity seized from the two suspects to 3.460 kilogrammes.

The agency did not disclose the financial value of the seized drugs or provide further details about the suspects’ alleged involvement in a wider trafficking network.

Reacting to the arrests, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operation.

Marwa described the incident as a warning to Nigerians who believe that living abroad could shield them from the consequences of involvement in drug trafficking.

He urged NDLEA personnel stationed at airports and other entry and exit points across the country to sustain their vigilance against drug trafficking networks.

The agency also warned Nigerians against risking their lives and freedom by swallowing illicit substances in exchange for financial rewards.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA disclosed that its operatives had recorded additional drug seizures in Lagos and Oyo states as part of ongoing operations against drug trafficking.

In Lagos, officers intercepted two commercial buses conveying a combined 976 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, on October 25.

The first interception occurred along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, where officers recovered 537 kilogrammes of the substance from a white Volkswagen LT 28 bus.

On the same day, another NDLEA team stopped a brown J5 bus along the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway and recovered an additional 439 kilogrammes.

In Oyo State, operatives arrested two suspects, identified as Oguntona Nasiru, 46, and Soji Balogun, 47, on October 29 while they were allegedly loading 554 kilogrammes of skunk into a Volvo truck along Idere Road, Igboora.

The arrests followed an earlier operation targeting a suspected drug dealer identified as Omo Oba, during which the agency reportedly recovered 309.5 kilogrammes of cannabis, popularly known as Ghanaian Loud.

The NDLEA said the operations formed part of its sustained efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks, prevent the distribution of illicit substances and strengthen the fight against drug abuse in Nigeria.

The agency reiterated its commitment to intensifying surveillance at international airports, seaports, land borders and other strategic locations to prevent traffickers from using Nigeria as a transit point for illicit drugs.

The two Abuja airport suspects could face prosecution over the alleged cocaine trafficking offences, subject to the outcome of investigations and applicable legal procedures.