The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised concerns over a disturbing shift in drug trafficking tactics, revealing that suspects are increasingly ingesting illicit substances to evade detection while travelling overland through the Sahara Desert en route to Europe.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the development in a statement shared on Sunday via his X (formerly Twitter) account.
He explained that heightened surveillance and improved detection technologies at Nigerian airports have forced traffickers to adopt more dangerous alternatives, particularly road routes stretching from southern Nigeria through the north and across the desert into North Africa.
According to Babafemi, the emerging method involves suspects swallowing drug pellets before embarking on long-distance journeys, with planned stopovers to excrete and subsequently re-ingest the substances in a bid to avoid arrest.
“The latest code is appalling. With modern tools and the vigilance of NDLEA officers at our airports, it has become extremely difficult to traffic drugs through air travel. As a result, traffickers have resorted to ingesting illicit drugs and moving by road through the desert to North Africa and ultimately Europe,” he stated.
He warned that the trend poses significant health risks to traffickers and complicates enforcement operations, adding that it could lead to increased instances of roadside excretion as NDLEA intensifies monitoring across highways nationwide.
Babafemi further described the tactic as both reckless and desperate, questioning the extent to which traffickers are willing to go in their attempts to outsmart law enforcement agencies.
“Given the increasing presence of NDLEA operatives on highways, we expect more roadside recoveries of excreted drug pellets as seen in recent operations,” he added.
A video accompanying the statement showed NDLEA personnel conducting a roadside operation, during which multiple yellowish pellets, suspected to contain illicit drugs, were recovered.
The substances, wrapped in condom-like materials, were laid out for documentation and subjected to preliminary field testing using chemical reagents, which produced indicative colour changes confirming their illicit nature.
The latest warning comes amid an intensified crackdown by the NDLEA on both domestic and international drug trafficking networks.
In recent months, the agency has intercepted several attempts involving individuals, including businessmen and pilgrims, trying to smuggle narcotics through commercial flights.
Authorities say the evolving tactics underscore the need for sustained vigilance, enhanced intelligence gathering, and inter-agency collaboration to dismantle trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.
