Author: Gist Correspondent

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly operated under the cover of a herbal tea business, while also intercepting a fuel tanker with a hidden drug compartment and seizing large quantities of illicit drugs in coordinated operations across nine states.

The suspect, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, 34, was arrested on Friday, September 4, at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market in Ojo, Lagos, following intelligence-led investigations into the interception of 1.2kg of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

According to the NDLEA, the suspect admitted masterminding previous drug shipments and confessed to discarding his SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.

Investigations revealed that Ebubechukwu was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport after attempting to smuggle 900g of cocaine and 130g of heroin to Austria. Convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment, he later changed his name and allegedly returned to drug trafficking.

A search of his Ejigbo residence uncovered modified phone chargers similar to those used to conceal the seized cocaine.

At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives also intercepted 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at over ₦1.1 billion, concealed in cartons of used trousers imported from Pakistan. Another 57.8kg of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain worth over ₦173 million, was discovered hidden in cartons of disposable hand gloves shipped from Singapore.

In Ondo State, officers intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker fitted with a secret compartment containing 2,145kg of cannabis concealed alongside legitimate fuel cargo. The driver abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled.

At the Tincan Port in Lagos, NDLEA seized another 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies in a 40-foot container. The shipment was linked to three suspects already in custody over an earlier seizure of 842.54kg of similar products.

In Adamawa State, operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills, mainly tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect after his vehicle rammed an NDLEA patrol vehicle. Another suspect, Calistus Ebubechukwu, was arrested with 2kg of methamphetamine, while Attahiru Hussaini was intercepted with a large consignment of tramadol and other opioids concealed in a soap-laden vehicle.

Across Lagos, the agency recovered 2,386.9kg of cannabis, 350g of cocaine, over 100kg of tramadol, 9.7 litres of codeine syrup, and 4kg of Rohypnol. Two suspects were also arrested with 720kg of cannabis in Agbara.

In Kogi State, three suspects were arrested with 636kg of cannabis hidden inside chicken manure during a stop-and-search operation.

Other major seizures included 109kg of assorted psychotropic drugs in Taraba, 1,179kg of skunk concealed in a cement truck in Kaduna, 322.5kg of cannabis linked to a follow-up arrest in Bauchi, destruction of a four-hectare cannabis farm in Ekiti, and the arrest of a suspect with 40,590 tramadol capsules in Enugu.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and warned that traffickers who attempt to hide behind new identities or legitimate businesses would continue to be tracked and brought to justice. He also urged personnel to sustain the agency\'s balanced approach of enforcement and drug abuse prevention through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.