Nigerian-British grandma arrested with 13kg cocaine concealed in plantain peels
Nigerian-British Grandmother Arrested for Cocaine Smuggling at Lagos Airport
A 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman, Mary Yetunde Barek, was apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos. She is accused of attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed within fake plantain peels.
The NDLEA announced the arrest in a statement released Sunday by Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi. According to the agency, Barek, a caregiver residing in the United Kingdom, was taken into custody in Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on June 28, 2026.
A search of her luggage revealed 31 large wraps of cocaine disguised to resemble hands of plantain among various food items. During interrogation, Barek allegedly admitted to the ownership of the drugs.
In a separate operation, NDLEA agents arrested Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, a 45-year-old PhD student from the University of Putra in Malaysia. Onyeka was apprehended in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State for his involvement in an attempted export of 5.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden within the walls of nine cartons of Orijin Bitters destined for Kuala Lumpur.
This arrest followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine concealed inside the cartons, which led to the earlier arrests of four suspects in Lagos, including cargo agent Alalade Taiwo Azeez. Further investigation revealed Onyeka as the alleged leader of the syndicate.
In Taraba State, a 30-year-old suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, was arrested on July 4 after NDLEA officials recovered 43,980 capsules of Tramadol concealed in the fuel tanks of a vehicle traveling from Onitsha, Anambra State.
Additionally, in Kaduna State, NDLEA officers captured Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, during a raid on July 2, recovering 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine. A 65-year-old man, Francis Ifara Eja, was arrested in Ikwo, Ebonyi State, with 231.7 kilograms of skunk on July 4. Meanwhile, a 75-year-old, identified as Alhaji Babani, was detained in the Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State on July 3 with 15 kilograms of skunk.
On July 1, Gombe State operatives arrested Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, at Kuri village with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms.
The NDLEA also reported ongoing drug abuse prevention campaigns across the country as part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, conducting sensitization lectures in schools and communities in Anambra, Enugu, Ogun, and Kano states.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, praised the efforts of the agency’s operatives in various states and urged them to continue their work in reducing drug supply and raising public awareness.