Nigerian-British grandmother nabbed at Lagos airport with 13kg cocaine hidden in plantain peels

Major cocaine seizure at Lagos airport

Nigerian authorities have arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman at Lagos's Murtala Muhammed International Airport after discovering 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed within fake plantain peels. Mary Barek, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was apprehended at Terminal 2's departure hall on 28 June whilst preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.

During a thorough search of her luggage, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) found 31 large packages of cocaine expertly disguised as bunches of plantain and packed alongside legitimate food items. According to the agency's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Barek admitted full ownership of the seized drugs during questioning.

Wider drug trafficking network dismantled

The airport arrest is part of a broader crackdown on drug smuggling networks across Nigeria. In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, a 45-year-old PhD student in Malaysia, on 29 June in Anambra State. Investigators identified him as the alleged leader of a trafficking syndicate attempting to export cocaine hidden inside cartons of Orijin Bitters bound for Kuala Lumpur. Four additional suspects in Lagos—a cargo agent, driver, market trader and carton supplier—were also arrested in connection with the scheme.

Recent enforcement sweeps across Nigeria have yielded significant seizures:

• 43,980 Tramadol capsules recovered from modified vehicle fuel tanks in Taraba State
• 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine seized in Kaduna State
• 231.7 kilograms of skunk cannabis recovered in Ebonyi State
• 556 kilograms of cannabis sativa seized in Gombe State

NDLEA leadership praised officers for balancing enforcement operations with public awareness campaigns across schools, workplaces and communities nationwide, urging continued vigilance against drug trafficking networks.