NDLEA Arrests Hajj Pilgrims For Allegedly Smuggling Cocaine Into Saudi Arabia

Brig Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), disclosed on Wednesday that two individuals who ingested cocaine allegedly en route to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage were recently arrested.

Marwa, speaking at the opening of a meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Drug Use Control, said the two suspects posed as true Muslims heading to the holy land to practise their religious obligations.

“Just a few days ago, we apprehended two intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia who had swallowed cocaine. They claimed to be going for Hajj,” he said.

Marwa expressed concern over the continued exploitation of the Hajj season by criminal networks to traffic illicit drugs across borders, warning of a recurring pattern.

“We’ve seen it repeatedly happen where unsuspecting people are deceived under the pretext of Hajj travel. Two years ago, three women were defrauded. Some people offered to pay for their tickets, visas, and other logistics. Before departure, they were handed a small bag to deliver to someone believed to be a relative in Saudi Arabia — someone they had never met. Cocaine was sewn into the bag,” Marwa recounted.

Despite financial constraints affecting the full implementation of the National Drug Control Master Plan (2021–2025), the NDLEA chief said the agency remains committed to its mission of combating drug trafficking and abuse.