The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly operated under the guise of a herbal tea businessman, as the agency intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 2026.
According to NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the suspect was traced following the interception of 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at a courier company in Lagos on July 31.
The agency said Ebubechukwu admitted masterminding previous drug shipments and discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.
Investigations also revealed that he had previously been arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
A search of his residence in Ejigbo, Lagos, also led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those allegedly used to conceal the intercepted cocaine shipment.
Massive Drug Seizures
The arrest formed part of a wider NDLEA operation across nine states, during which the agency intercepted large consignments of opioids, cannabis, methamphetamine and other controlled substances.
At the Lagos airport, operatives seized 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at more than N1.1 billion, concealed among thrift trousers in a consignment from Pakistan.
Another seizure at the airport involved 57.8kg of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, concealed inside cartons of disposable hand gloves shipped from Singapore.
In Adamawa, the agency recovered 864,000 opioid pills, particularly tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect. Another suspect, Calistus Ebubechukwu, 35, was arrested in Michika with 2kg of methamphetamine allegedly supplied from Lagos.
The NDLEA also reported the interception of a major opioid consignment in Adamawa, while operations in Lagos led to the recovery of 2,386.9kg of cannabis, 350 grammes of cocaine, more than 100kg of assorted tramadol, 9.7 litres of codeine syrup and 4kg of rohypnol.
Other significant operations were recorded in Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti and Enugu, involving seizures of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam, pentazocine, phenobarbital and other controlled substances.
In Ekiti, operatives also uncovered and destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in the Efon-Alaaye forest, recovering 117kg of already-harvested cannabis and arresting two suspects.
Marwa Warns Traffickers
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain intelligence-led enforcement and drug prevention efforts.
Marwa warned that drug traffickers attempting to evade law enforcement by adopting new identities or disguising their activities behind legitimate businesses would continue to be tracked down.
The agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns during the week, reaching schools, communities, healthcare workers, worship centres and workplaces across the country.
The latest operations, NDLEA said, demonstrate its continued effort to disrupt drug supply networks, dismantle trafficking routes and prevent illicit substances from reaching communities in Nigeria and abroad.
