The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has warned Nigerians to beware of fraudsters impersonating senior officials of the agency to defraud unsuspecting members of the public through fake vehicle auction offers.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the criminals have been using the name of the NDLEA Secretary, Shadrach Haruna, to circulate fraudulent letters and messages claiming to offer forfeited vehicles for sale at discounted prices.
Babafemi described the offers as entirely fake, stressing that no official of the agency is authorised to privately sell or allocate seized vehicles or other forfeited assets.
He explained that all assets confiscated as proceeds of drug-related crimes are disposed of only through transparent public auctions conducted by government-approved auctioneers and duly advertised through official channels and national newspapers.
The agency urged members of the public to ignore and report any private letters, text messages or social media posts claiming to originate from NDLEA officials regarding the sale of forfeited assets.
Meanwhile, the anti-narcotics agency disclosed that it has uncovered a growing trend of international drug cartels establishing clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in remote forests across the country in collaboration with local criminal syndicates.
According to the agency, one of its most significant operations between January and May 2026 led to the dismantling of the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in Nigeria. The facility, located inside Abidagba Forest in Ogun State, was allegedly operated under the guise of farming.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 10 suspected cartel members, including three Mexican nationals believed to have been recruited for their expertise in methamphetamine production. Authorities also recovered more than 2,400 kilogrammes of precursor chemicals, industrial solvents and crystallised methamphetamine with an estimated international value of about ₦480 billion.
Babafemi disclosed that during the five-month period, the agency arrested 9,769 suspects, secured 1,778 convictions—including 65 convicted drug kingpins—and dismantled more than 15 drug hotspots in the Federal Capital Territory.
He added that the NDLEA destroyed 65,000 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated on 26 hectares of farmland in Delta State, while 6,533 drug users received counselling, treatment and rehabilitation.
As part of its preventive efforts, the agency said it reached more than 770,000 Nigerians through over 2,200 anti-drug awareness campaigns conducted in schools, markets, places of worship, motor parks and workplaces.
The NDLEA also revealed that it launched an Alternative Development Pilot Project in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for communities previously dependent on illicit crop cultivation.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to combating drug trafficking, protecting the public from criminal activities, and maintaining transparency in all its operations.
Source: The Guardian
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