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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly returned to the illicit drug trade under a new identity, after intelligence operations traced him to a 1.2kg cocaine shipment concealed in phone chargers and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Operatives also intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker fitted with a concealed compartment containing 2,145kg of cannabis, after the driver allegedly refused to stop along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway in Ondo State before abandoning the vehicle at a church premises and fleeing into the bush.
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More than two million opioid pills and other dangerous substances were recovered in a series of nationwide operations, including 966,200 Tramadol tablets in Lagos, 864,000 opioid pills in Adamawa, and 40,590 Tramadol capsules in Enugu, alongside large quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, codeine and other psychotropic substances.
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The crackdown extended to the nation’s ports and major highways, with NDLEA intercepting 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies at Tin Can Island Port and arresting suspects linked to major drug trafficking networks, as the agency simultaneously intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns nationwide.
September 06, (THEWILL) — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide offensive against illicit drug trafficking, recording major seizures and arrests across several states, including the arrest of a convicted cocaine trafficker allegedly operating under the cover of a legitimate herbal tea business.
The latest operations, carried out in Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu states, resulted in the recovery of massive quantities of opioids, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and other controlled substances.
One of the biggest breakthroughs came in Lagos, where operatives of the agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) arrested a suspected mastermind behind cocaine shipments to Saudi Arabia.
The investigation followed the interception of a 1.2kg consignment of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers at a courier company in Lagos on July 31, 2026. The shipment was reportedly destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to the NDLEA, painstaking intelligence gathering and tracking operations subsequently led investigators to the alleged mastermind, 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu.
A statement signed on Sunday by the NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said Ebubechukwu was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, while allegedly posing as a herbal tea businessman.
The agency said the suspect admitted in his statement to masterminding some illicit drug shipments in the past. He reportedly told investigators that he discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that his latest cocaine consignment had been intercepted by NDLEA operatives.
Further investigation allegedly revealed that Ebubechukwu was not new to the illicit drug trade.
The NDLEA said he was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, after ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria. He was prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
According to the agency, he later changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and returned to the criminal trade.
A search of his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, on September 4 allegedly led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those used to conceal the cocaine shipment intercepted in July.
The agency said the internal components of the chargers had been removed to create compartments for hiding drugs.
966,200 Tramadol Pills Seized At Lagos Airport
At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, with an estimated value of more than ₦1.1 billion. The tablets were concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment originating from Pakistan.
In a separate operation, 57.80kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, was recovered from cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment from Singapore.
The consignment had reportedly remained unclaimed for weeks before a joint examination involving NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on Thursday, September 3. The agency said the cannabis had an estimated street value of more than ₦173 million.
2,145kg Cannabis Hidden In Fuel Tanker
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker allegedly modified to transport cannabis alongside legitimate petroleum cargo.
The tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, was reportedly chased by officers along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway on Friday, September 4, after its driver allegedly refused to stop.
The driver eventually abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and escaped into the bush.
A subsequent search uncovered a false compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg.
The tanker was carrying legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.
The seizure is one of the most significant interceptions in the latest operations and highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods allegedly being adopted by drug traffickers to conceal illicit substances within legitimate commercial supply chains.
Fresh Seizure Of Cannabis-Laced Cookies At Tin Can Port
At the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, the NDLEA intercepted another major consignment of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies.
The agency said 598.08kg, equivalent to 890 packets, of the drug-laced products were seized on Wednesday, September 2, from a 40-foot container.
The seizure was linked to three suspects (Yashim Dauji, Larry Ifeanyi and Joseph Moji), who were arrested barely a month earlier following the seizure of 842.54kg of cannabis-laced cookies at the port.
Adamawa Records Major Opioid Seizures
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 864,000 pills of opioids, particularly Tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect identified as Patrick KC Frank.
The seizure followed a patrol operation along the Damilu-Jambutu axis in Jimeta, Yola North Local Government Area, on Friday, September 4.
The agency said Frank’s Honda Civic rammed an NDLEA patrol vehicle before he escaped.
In another operation in Michika, a suspected major methamphetamine supplier operating from Lagos to the Mubi and Michika axis was arrested.
The suspect, 35-year-old Calistus Ebubechukwu, was arrested on September 4 with 2kg of methamphetamine.
Another suspect, Attahiru Hussaini, was intercepted at the Namtari checkpoint in Mubi on Monday, August 31, with a large consignment of Tramadol and other opioids concealed inside a Ford Galaxy bus marked JJM-953XD. The drugs were reportedly hidden among soap products.
The NDLEA’s supplied figure for this seizure states 750,027,530 pills of Tramadol and other opioids. Given the extraordinary size of that figure, it should be independently verified against the agency’s original release before publication.
More Drugs Seized Across Lagos, Kogi, Taraba
The nationwide operation also produced major seizures in other parts of the country.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives 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 at Gbaji.
Two suspects, Damilare Francis and Emeh Emmanuel, were also arrested at Agbara with 720kg of cannabis.
In Kogi State, three suspects (Saidu Mustapha, 35; Zaharadeen Salisu, 29; and AbdulSalam Abdullahi, 25) were arrested with 636kg of cannabis allegedly concealed in chicken manure aboard a bus travelling from Owo, Ondo State, to Jos, Plateau State. The suspects were intercepted along the Okene/Lokoja highway.
In Taraba State, 58-year-old Kelechi Unachukwu was arrested along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area.
The NDLEA said he was conveying more than 109kg of a cocktail of controlled substances, including Tramadol, Diazepam, Pentazocine, Phenobarbital, Exol-5, Nitrazepam, Bromazepam and Pregabalin.
The substances were allegedly being transported in his Toyota Corolla, marked KUJ-333BT, from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.
Cannabis Farm Destroyed In Ekiti
In Ekiti State, operatives uncovered and destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in the Efon-Alaaye forest. Two suspects, Chuks Alex, 50, and Asafa Adekunle, 35, were arrested during the operation, while 117kg of already harvested skunk was recovered
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck loaded with bags of cement along the Zaria-Kano Expressway in Kaduna and recovered 1,179kg of skunk.
In Bauchi State, 25-year-old Hamza Dahiru was arrested in a follow-up operation after the seizure of 322.5kg of cannabis at Deba town in Gombe State on Tuesday, September 1.
Similarly, in Enugu State, a 20-year-old suspect, Obinna David, was arrested at Ugbema Junction on Saturday, September 5, with 40,590 capsules of Tramadol.
NDLEA Sustains WADA Campaign
While intensifying enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it also continued its preventive campaigns under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.
The agency said its commands and formations across the country sustained sensitisation programmes targeting schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Among the activities was a WADA enlightenment lecture for nursing mothers and nurses at Ibereko Primary Health Centre in Abeokuta North, Ogun State.
Youths of Umouji/Okwo community at Olokoro, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, were also reached, alongside staff and concessionaires of NLNG at the Saipem-Daewoo, NLNG terminal in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Commending officers and men of the DOGI, MMIA, Ondo, Tin Can, Lagos, Adamawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu Commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the operations.
Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with prevention and public sensitisation. He also warned traffickers who believe they can evade detection by adopting new identities or operating behind legitimate businesses that they would continue to be tracked.
The NDLEA said its nationwide operations would continue as part of efforts to disrupt the supply chains, trafficking networks and distribution channels driving the illicit drug trade in Nigeria.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
