The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested an 83-year-old woman, Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday, with consignments of methamphetamine and Colorado in Abia State, barely a year after she was prosecuted and convicted for a similar offence.
Uloma was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.
A statement by the NDLEA said quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado were found tied around her waist with a wrapper during the operation.
Her arrest followed credible intelligence that she was operating a drug joint where criminal elements who terrorise residents of the community allegedly gathered.
The 83-year-old had previously been arrested by NDLEA operatives on May 17, 2025, at the same residence, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi.
During that operation, the agency recovered 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grams of tramadol.
The two women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months in prison or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fines and were released by the court.
“Undeterred, the notorious old woman promptly returned to the criminal trade and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters,” the statement said.
In another operation at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie.
She was arrested with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a species of cannabis, weighing 32.74kg.
The drugs were concealed in two travelling bags.
The suspect had travelled from Thailand through Doha on Qatar Airways flight QR1431.
According to the NDLEA, she confessed to having previously trafficked drugs through other African countries and was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was arrested.
At the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives also intercepted a consignment of nine7 cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.
The cargo was placed under surveillance after it arrived on September 29.
A joint examination of the shipment on Tuesday, October 6, led to the discovery of 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kg.
In another operation at the Lagos airport, the agency intercepted a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom after it arrived on September 29.
Six Ghana-Must-Go bags in the consignment were found to contain 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, weighing 75.90kg.
A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was the first suspect arrested in connection with the seizure on September 30.
He was followed by Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, who was arrested while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi.
Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, were later arrested when they came to collect the remaining five bags.
The NDLEA said Ajibola stated that the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his consignments came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf.
In Cross River State, NDLEA officers, following surveillance, raided Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on Sunday, October 4.
The operation led to the arrest of Adama Inuwa, 46, with 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on Monday, October 5.
The vehicle was found to be carrying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg.
Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In a separate raid at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, NDLEA operatives arrested Ojugo Mercy, 26, with 989 grams of Loud, 13 grams of Colorado and 83 grams of methamphetamine.
In Ondo State, a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was trailed to her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on Monday, October 5, where NDLEA operatives recovered 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg.
On the same day, officers raided an apartment at Oba-Ile, Akure, leading to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of the same psychoactive substance weighing 351kg.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village in Wukari Local Government Area on Friday, October 9.
The suspects were found with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 107kg.
Also on Friday, NDLEA officers conducting a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri road in Kano State arrested Yahaya Musa, 32.
He was found with 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of the same substance.
The drugs had a combined weight of 1,027kg.
In Lagos, a suspect, Musbau Balogun Adekunle, was arrested in Orile on Tuesday, October 6, with 32.51kg of skunk and 52.65kg of its seeds, bringing the total weight to 85.16kg.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives also recovered assorted rifles and ammunition during a raid on the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday, October 8.
The items recovered from him included 47 grams of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.
83-year-old woman arrested with meth, Colorado as NDLEA seizes drugs nationwide