NDLEA arrests convicted cocaine trafficker disguised as herbal tea merchant

A 34-year-old man identified as Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, who allegedly masterminded cocaine shipments to Saudi Arabia, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos.

Ebubechukwu, who was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market in the Ojo area of Lagos on Friday, September 4, 2026, was allegedly operating under the cover of a herbal tea business.

His arrest followed an intelligence-led investigation into the interception of 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The consignment was intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31.

According to the NDLEA, Ebubechukwu admitted during interrogation that he had masterminded previous illicit drug shipments. He also reportedly discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.

Investigators discovered that the suspect had previously been arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in 2011 after allegedly 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 in prison. The agency said he subsequently changed his name from Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu before allegedly returning to drug trafficking.

A search of his residence at Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, also led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those used to conceal the intercepted cocaine. Their internal components had reportedly been removed to create compartments for drugs.

The arrest was part of a wider NDLEA crackdown across nine states in which the agency said it recovered more than two million opioid pills, tonnes of cannabis, methamphetamine and other controlled substances.

At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg valued at more than N1.1 billion. The drugs were concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment imported from Pakistan.

In another operation at the airport, 57.8kg of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis valued at more than N173 million, was recovered from cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment from Singapore. The consignment had remained unclaimed for weeks before a joint examination involving the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on September 3.

In Ondo State, officers intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, along the Akoko-Lokoja Expressway on September 4 after the driver allegedly refused to stop. The driver later abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the bush.

A search of the vehicle uncovered a concealed compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg, alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.

At the Lagos Port, the NDLEA also intercepted 598.08kg, comprising 890 packets, of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies in a 40-foot container on September 2. The agency linked the consignment to three suspects—Yashim Dauji, Larry Ifeanyi and Joseph Moji—who were previously arrested following the seizure of 842.54kg of cannabis-laced cookies at Tin Can Island Port.

In Adamawa State, 864,000 opioid pills, particularly tramadol, were recovered from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect, Patrick KC Frank, in the Damilu-Jambutu axis of Jimeta, Yola North Local Government Area.

Frank allegedly rammed his Honda Civic into an NDLEA patrol vehicle before escaping.

Another suspect, 35-year-old Calistus Ebubechukwu, described by the agency as a major methamphetamine supplier operating between Lagos, Mubi and Michika, was arrested in Michika with 2kg of methamphetamine.

The NDLEA also intercepted Attahiru Hussaini at Namtari checkpoint in Mubi on August 31. He was allegedly transporting tramadol and other opioids concealed in a soap-laden Ford Galaxy bus marked JJM-953XD.

In Lagos, officers recovered 2,386.9kg of cannabis, 350 grammes of cocaine, more than 100kg of various grades of tramadol, 9.7 litres of codeine syrup and 4kg of Rohypnol in the Gbaji area. Two suspects, Damilare Francis and Emeh Emmanuel, were also arrested at Agbara with 720kg of cannabis.

Meanwhile, three suspects—Saidu Mustapha, 35; Zaharadeen Salisu, 29; and AbdulSalam Abdullahi, 25—were arrested in Kogi State with 636kg of cannabis allegedly concealed in chicken manure aboard a bus travelling from Owo in Ondo State to Jos, Plateau State.

In Taraba State, 58-year-old Kelechi Unachukwu was arrested along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area with more than 109kg of controlled substances, including tramadol, diazepam, pentazocine, phenobarbital, Exol-5, nitrazepam, bromazepam and pregabalin. The drugs were allegedly being conveyed in his Toyota Corolla from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.

In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck carrying bags of cement along the Zaria-Kano Expressway and recovered 1,179kg of skunk.

In Bauchi, a 25-year-old suspect, Hamza Dahiru, was arrested in a follow-up operation after the seizure of 322.5kg of cannabis in Deba town, Gombe State, on September 1.

In Ekiti State, two suspects, Chuks Alex, 50, and Asafa Adekunle, 35, were arrested after NDLEA officers discovered and destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in Efon-Alaaye forest. The operation also led to the recovery of 117kg of already harvested cannabis.

In Enugu State, a 20-year-old man, Obinna David, was arrested at Ugbema Junction on September 5 with 40,590 capsules of tramadol.

Beyond the arrests and seizures, the NDLEA said its commands across the country continued with drug-abuse awareness campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse programme. The sensitisation activities targeted schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.

The agency said its recent activities included an enlightenment lecture for nursing mothers and nurses at Ibereko Primary Health Centre in Abeokuta North, Ogun State, as well as engagements with youths in Umouji/Okwo community in Olokoro, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, and staff and concessionaires at the Saipem-Daewoo, NLNG terminal in Bonny, Rivers State.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to drug control.

Marwa said traffickers who attempt to evade law enforcement by adopting new identities or operating behind legitimate businesses would continue to be tracked down.