Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while recording massive drug seizures across several states.
Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi said in a press statement that Onyekwere, 47, was arrested on Thursday, 29 January 2026, during inward passenger clearance of a South African Airways flight arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg.
Acting on processed intelligence, NDLEA officers subjected the suspect to further checks, which led to the recovery of 1.60 kilograms of cocaine concealed on his body and inside the soles of his footwear.
In his preliminary statement, the suspect claimed he purchased the drugs in Brazil with the intention of reselling them in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and support family obligations. He disclosed that he has lived in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2008 and has been involved in the toy business for about nine years.
Beyond the airport arrest, NDLEA recorded a series of high-impact interdictions nationwide. At the Tin Can Seaport in Lagos, officers, working alongside Customs and other security agencies, uncovered 1,183 kilograms of Canadian Loud concealed in two vehicles shipped in a container from Montreal, Canada.
In Niger State, three suspects were arrested along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway with 2,735 kilograms of skunk and 1 kilogram of Colorado, while further operations in Edo State led to multiple arrests, the interception of drug consignments heading north, and the destruction of a large cannabis farm measuring over 1.6 hectares.
Additional seizures were recorded in Anambra, Ondo, Lagos, Ogun axis and Kano, where officers recovered 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection and thousands of tramadol pills. Altogether, the Agency seized over 9,939 kilograms of Loud, Colos and Skunk during the week-long operations.
Meanwhile, NDLEA Commands across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres and communities, reaching students and residents in states including Lagos, Oyo, Yobe, Katsina, Abia and Enugu.
Reacting to the developments, the Director, Media & Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said the outcomes underscore the Agency’s resolve to disrupt drug trafficking networks while investing in prevention.
He added that the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnel nationwide to sustain the balanced focus on supply reduction and drug abuse prevention
