Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman, Mary Yetunde Barek, after allegedly intercepting 13 kilograms of cocaine ingeniously concealed as plantain in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The suspect, a United Kingdom-based caregiver, was apprehended at the departure hall of Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on June 28, 2026.
According to the NDLEA, officers subjected her luggage to an intensive search following routine screening procedures, leading to the discovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine carefully packaged to resemble hands of plantain and hidden among other food items in an apparent bid to beat airport security.
The agency described the concealment method as one of the increasingly sophisticated tactics being employed by international drug trafficking syndicates to move illicit substances across borders.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the recovered cocaine weighed a total of 13 kilograms.
“A thorough search of her bags resulted in the discovery of 31 big wraps of cocaine which were packaged to appear like plantain hands, weighing a total of 13 kilograms,” Babafemi stated.
The anti-narcotics agency further disclosed that the suspect admitted ownership of the illicit consignment during interrogation.
“In her statement, the elderly woman admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits,” the agency said.
The arrest has once again highlighted the evolving strategies adopted by drug cartels, with authorities warning that traffickers are increasingly disguising hard drugs as everyday food items to evade detection at international airports.
NDLEA officials maintained that the operation forms part of ongoing efforts to tighten surveillance at the nation’s air, land and sea borders and dismantle transnational drug networks using Nigeria as a transit route.
The agency reiterated its commitment to sustaining its crackdown on narcotics trafficking, insisting that no individual, regardless of age, nationality or social status, would be spared from prosecution if found culpable in the illegal trade.