Archive · 6 Sep 2026
NDLEA Arrests Convicted Cocaine Trafficker Disguised as Tea Merchant
Nigeria’s drug-control agency arrested a man in Lagos who it says helped send cocaine to Saudi Arabia.
The cocaine had been hidden inside phone chargers.
The agency says the man had already been convicted of a drug offense in 2011 and served five years in prison.
Investigators found similar phone chargers at his home.
NDLEA also reported many other drug seizures in several Nigerian states.
These included opioid pills, cannabis, methamphetamine and drug-filled food products.
Some suspects were arrested, while others escaped.
The agency also continued teaching communities about the dangers of drug abuse.
Its chairman praised officers for combining arrests, seizures and education.
NDLEA arrested 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu in Lagos over alleged cocaine shipments to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The agency said 1.2 kilograms of cocaine were intercepted in phone chargers at a Lagos courier company on July 31.
Ebubechukwu was previously convicted and sentenced to five years in prison after a 2011 airport arrest involving cocaine and heroin.
NDLEA reported recovering large quantities of opioids, cannabis, methamphetamine and other controlled substances across nine states.
The operations also included drug-awareness campaigns targeting schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
- Who
- The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), led by Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa, and several suspects named in the agency’s operations.
- What
- NDLEA arrested Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and reported multiple drug seizures, arrests and awareness activities across Nigeria.
- When
- Ebubechukwu was arrested on September 4, 2026; related seizures and operations occurred from July 31 through September 5, 2026.
- Where
- The main arrest occurred at Article Market in Ojo, Lagos, while other operations took place across nine Nigerian states, including Ondo, Adamawa, Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti and Enugu.
- Why
- NDLEA said the operations were part of an intelligence-led investigation and a wider crackdown on illicit drugs, alongside its drug-abuse prevention campaign.
- Primary arrest
- Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, 34, was arrested during a sting operation in Ojo, Lagos.
- Intercepted cocaine
- 1.2 kilograms of cocaine were found concealed in phone chargers destined for Riyadh.
- Previous conviction
- The agency said Ebubechukwu was convicted and sentenced to five years after a 2011 arrest involving 900 grams of cocaine and 130 grams of heroin.
- Opioid seizure
- NDLEA recovered 966,200 Tramadol 225mg tablets at Lagos airport, valued at more than N1.1 billion.
- Cannabis seizure
- A concealed tanker compartment in Ondo State contained 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145 kilograms.
- Lagos port seizure
- The agency intercepted 598.08 kilograms of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies in a 40-foot container.
- Prevention work
- NDLEA conducted drug-abuse awareness activities under its War Against Drug Abuse programme.