NDLEA Arrest Man Wey Dem believe say E Hide Cocaine Business Behind Herbal Tea Trade.

NDLEA Arrest Man Wey Dem believe say E Hide Cocaine Business Behind Herbal Tea Trade.

Na National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) don arrest one 34 year old man, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, wey dem say na convicted cocaine trafficker. According to NDLEA, di man bin dey use herbal tea business as cover while e allegedly dey arrange cocaine shipments go Saudi Arabia.

NDLEA say dem catch am for Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market for Ojo side for Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 2026, after dem gather intelligence about one cocaine shipment wey dem intercept.

Di agency say dem intercept 1.2 kilograms of cocaine wey person hide inside phone chargers. Di package bin dey go Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and dem intercept am for one courier company for Lagos on July 31.

After dem intercept di package, NDLEA investigators for Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) begin trace di people wey dem suspect say dem get hand for di shipment. According to di agency, investigation later lead dem to Ebubechukwu, wey dem accuse say na im organize di shipment.

NDLEA say during interrogation, di suspect admit say e don involve for previous illegal drug shipments. Di agency also say e tell investigators say after e hear say di latest package don dey intercepted, e throway di SIM card wey e bin dey use.

DI MAN DON GET PREVIOUS COCAINE CONVICTION

According to NDLEA, dem first arrest Ebubechukwu for 2011 for Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Di agency say at dat time, dem catch am after e allegedly swallow about 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin as e bin dey try travel go Austria.

Dem prosecute am for court and court convict am, then give am five years prison sentence, according to NDLEA.

Di agency further allege say after e finish or leave prison, e change im name from Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu before e allegedly return to di illegal drug business.

During search for im house for Ejigbo, Lagos, on September 4, NDLEA say dem recover some phone chargers wey look like di ones dem allegedly use hide di cocaine wey dem intercept.

Investigators reportedly discover say dem remove some parts inside di chargers to create space wey person fit use hide drugs.

NDLEA CONTINUE NATIONWIDE DRUG CRACKDOWN

Di arrest na part of wider operations wey NDLEA say dem carry out for different parts of Nigeria. Di agency say dem make arrests and recover different illegal drugs for nine states, including Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu.

For Ondo State, NDLEA say officers intercept one 20,000-litre fuel tanker wey allegedly get hidden compartment inside. According to di agency, dem find 165 bags of cannabis wey weigh about 2,145 kilograms inside di hidden space.

Di driver allegedly abandon di tanker for one church premises around Ugbe Akoko before e run enter bush, according to NDLEA.

For Lagos airport, di agency say dem recover 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg wey dem value at more than ₦1.1 billion. Dem reportedly hide di drugs among thrift trousers inside 22-carton consignment wey come from Pakistan.

NDLEA also report say dem seize 57.8 kilograms of one cannabis strain wey dem dey call “Loud”. Dem allegedly hide di substance inside cartons of disposable hand gloves wey come from Singapore.

For Tin Can Island Port for Lagos, NDLEA say officers seize 598.08 kilograms of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies. Di drugs reportedly dey inside 890 packets wey dem pack inside one 40-foot container.

Di agency say di seizure connect to three suspects wey dem don previously arrest over another shipment of cannabis-laced cookies.

For Adamawa, Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Ekiti and Enugu states, NDLEA also report different arrests and drug recoveries involving substances like tramadol, methamphetamine, cannabis, codeine and other controlled drugs.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praise di officers wey take part for di operations. E urge dem to continue with intelligence led operations against people wey dey involved for illegal drug trafficking.

Marwa also warn say people wey dey try escape law enforcement by changing their names or using legitimate businesses as cover no go easily escape investigation.

However, while NDLEA don identify Ebubechukwu as person wey allegedly mastermind di latest Saudi-bound cocaine shipment, di allegation still need go through di proper legal process. Any new criminal responsibility go depend on di outcome of court proceedings.