Widow’s Fake Pregnancy Scheme to Smuggle Cocaine Foiled by NDLEA in Lagos

Fashion Designer Arrested in Lagos for Cocaine Trafficking Using Fake Pregnancy Ruse

Authorities from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, a 50-year-old widow and fashion entrepreneur, for attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine. She reportedly used a fabricated pregnancy as a deceptive tactic to avoid detection during the drug smuggling operation.

Details of the Arrest and Investigation

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Mrs. Ezewuike, who runs Golden Star Creation, a fashion business located in Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, was detained at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba on Friday, August 22, 2025. She was caught while trying to transport the illicit drugs to clients in Abuja.

Subsequent searches conducted at her residence in the Ago Palace area uncovered an additional 200 grams of a cutting agent commonly used to dilute cocaine, indicating involvement in drug processing activities.

Background and Confession

During interrogation, Ezewuike revealed that she inherited the drug trafficking enterprise from her late husband, who passed away two years prior. This admission sheds light on the continuity of criminal networks within families, a pattern observed in various narcotics cases across Nigeria.

Context and Implications

This case highlights the innovative methods traffickers employ to circumvent law enforcement, including exploiting social perceptions such as pregnancy to mask illicit activities. The NDLEA continues to intensify efforts to dismantle drug networks, with recent statistics showing a 15% increase in cocaine seizures nationwide in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year.

Experts warn that the use of family ties to sustain drug operations complicates enforcement and calls for enhanced community awareness and support systems to prevent the perpetuation of such criminal enterprises.