How cartels plant drugs in travelers’ bags — NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has issued a fresh warning to travelers, advising them on how to avoid being used as unwitting couriers by criminal drug syndicates.

The caution, delivered by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a post on his official X handle on Sunday, stresses a “narco-trend” where cartels use unsuspecting passengers to smuggle illicit drugs.

According to him, “Ensure you wait at the check in counter to see your luggage tagged and go off on the conveyor belt.” This step is critical to prevent airport insiders from planting drugs in a traveler’s bag after they have left the counter.

“Before you board at the foot of the plane, where applicable, please identify your luggage and ensure the details tally with the tag collected at the check in counter.”

This provides a final check to ensure the bag hasn’t been tampered with or switched before loading, he noted.

“Never be in a hurry to ignore or overlook these steps. They will save you from the trauma of accounting for what you know nothing about or facing the consequences of the actions of criminal syndicates,” Babafemi wrote.

The NDLEA’s warning is a response to the prevalent use of “blind mules”—travelers who are unaware they are carrying drugs.

The post read: “Narco-trend update: More than ever before, it’s very important now that when embarking on local or international travels, ensure you wait at the check in counter to see your luggage tagged and go off on the conveyor belt. It’s equally significant that before you board at the foot of the plane, where applicable, please identify your luggage and ensure the details tally with the tag collected at the check in counter. Never be in a hurry to ignore or overlook these steps. They will save you from the trauma of accounting for what you know nothing about or facing the consequences of the actions of criminal syndicates which smuggle illicit drugs through innocent passengers. For me, I don’t travel with more than my hand luggage for years now. E get why!”

The agency has also foiled attempts to smuggle drugs concealed in car side mirrors and has shared videos on social media to educate the public on the sophisticated methods used by traffickers.

In a recent operation, the agency arrested a Lagos-based church general overseer for allegedly masterminding multiple shipments of illicit drugs from Ghana to Nigeria.

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