By Opeyemi Adelakun
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 34-year-old convicted drug trafficker accused of using a legitimate herbal tea business as a cover while coordinating illicit drug shipments, including a 1.2kg consignment of cocaine destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the suspect, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was apprehended during an intelligence-led sting operation in Lagos.
Ebubechukwu was arrested on Friday, September 4, at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of the state, where operatives reportedly found him operating under the guise of a herbal tea businessman.
The arrest followed the interception of the cocaine shipment at a courier company in Lagos on July 31.
According to Babafemi, the suspect allegedly admitted to masterminding previous drug shipments and discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.
The agency said further investigation exposed the suspect’s previous involvement in drug trafficking.
Babafemi said, “Further investigation revealed the suspect is no stranger to the Agency.”
He explained that Ebubechukwu was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after allegedly ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.
The suspect was subsequently prosecuted and sentenced to five years in prison before changing his name and allegedly returning to the illicit drug trade.
NDLEA operatives also searched his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, where they recovered telephone chargers allegedly similar to those used in concealing the intercepted cocaine.
According to the agency, the internal components of the chargers had been removed to create spaces for hiding drugs.
The arrest formed part of a wider NDLEA operation conducted across nine states, with the agency reporting several major seizures and arrests during the period.
At the Lagos airport, operatives reportedly intercepted 966,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton shipment from Pakistan.
The NDLEA estimated the street value of the tablets at more than ₦1.1 billion.
The agency also said 57.80kg of Loud, a synthetic form of cannabis, valued at more than ₦173 million, was discovered hidden in cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment originating from Singapore.
The consignment had reportedly remained unclaimed for weeks before NDLEA operatives, Customs officials and other security agencies conducted a joint examination on Thursday, September 3.
In Ondo State, a 20,000-litre fuel tanker became the subject of an NDLEA pursuit after its driver allegedly refused to stop along the Akoko-Lokoja Expressway on Friday, September 4.
The driver reportedly abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko before fleeing into a nearby bush.
A subsequent search allegedly uncovered a concealed compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg.
The vehicle was reportedly transporting the legitimate fuel cargo to Jos, Plateau State, alongside the hidden consignment.
At the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA officers also intercepted 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies packed in 890 packets inside a 40-foot container on Wednesday, September 2.
The agency linked the seizure to three suspects — Yashim Dauji, Larry Ifeanyi and Joseph Moji — who had been arrested about a month earlier following the interception of 842.54kg of cannabis-laced cookies.
In Adamawa State, operatives recovered 864,000 opioid tablets, mainly tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect, Patrick KC Frank, in the Damilu and Jambutu areas of Jimeta, Yola North Local Government Area.
The suspect allegedly escaped after his Honda Civic car rammed into an NDLEA patrol vehicle.
Another operation in Michika resulted in the arrest of 35-year-old Calistus Ebubechukwu, who was allegedly found with 2kg of methamphetamine.
The agency also reported the arrest of Attahiru Hussaini at the Namtari checkpoint in Mubi on Monday, August 31.
Hussaini was allegedly carrying tramadol and other opioids concealed in a soap-laden Ford Galaxy bus marked JJM-953XD.
The nationwide operations extended to Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti and Enugu states.
In one operation, NDLEA officers recovered 2,386.9kg of cannabis, 350 grammes of cocaine, more than 100kg of assorted tramadol grades, 9.7 litres of codeine syrup and 4kg of rohypnol in the Gbaji area of Lagos.
Two suspects, Damilare Francis and Emeh Emmanuel, were also arrested in Agbara with 720kg of cannabis.
In Kogi State, three suspects — Saidu Mustapha, 35; Zaharadeen Salisu, 29; and AbdulSalam Abdullahi, 25 — were arrested after 636kg of cannabis was allegedly discovered concealed in chicken manure aboard a bus travelling from Owo, Ondo State, to Jos, Plateau State.
Taraba State also recorded the arrest of 58-year-old Kelechi Unachukwu along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area.
He was allegedly found transporting more than 109kg of various controlled substances, including tramadol, diazepam, pentazocine, phenobarbital, exol-5, nitrazepam, bromazepam and pregabalin.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck loaded with bags of cement along the Zaria-Kano Expressway and allegedly recovered 1,179kg of skunk.
A suspect, Hamza Dahiru, 25, was subsequently arrested in Bauchi during a follow-up operation connected to a separate 322.5kg cannabis seizure in Deba, Gombe State.
In Ekiti State, operatives uncovered and destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in Efon-Alaaye forest.
Two suspects, Chuks Alex, 50, and Asafa Adekunle, 35, were arrested, while 117kg of already-harvested cannabis was recovered.
In Enugu State, NDLEA officers arrested 20-year-old Obinna David at Ugbema Junction with 40,590 capsules of tramadol.
Beyond the seizures and arrests, Babafemi said NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The outreach programmes included awareness sessions for nursing mothers and nurses at Ibereko Primary Health Centre in Abeokuta North, Ogun State, youths in Umouji/Okwo community in Olokoro, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, and staff and concessionaires of NLNG at the Saipem-Daewoo terminal in Bonny, Rivers State.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended personnel involved in the operations for what he described as professionalism and intelligence-driven work.
Marwa urged officers to maintain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control while intensifying efforts against trafficking networks.
He warned that suspected traffickers attempting to evade law enforcement by changing their identities or operating through legitimate businesses would continue to face investigation and prosecution.
The NDLEA said its latest operations demonstrate its continued focus on disrupting both domestic drug distribution networks and international trafficking routes.
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