The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly returned to the illicit drug trade after changing his identity and disguising himself as a herbal tea businessman.
The suspect, 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested in a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 2026, following an intelligence-led investigation into a 1.2kg cocaine shipment destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The cocaine, concealed inside phone chargers, had been intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31, prompting operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) of the NDLEA to track down the alleged mastermind.
According to a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, September 6, Ebubechukwu admitted masterminding some illicit drug shipments in the past and disclosed that he discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.
Babafemi said further investigation revealed that the suspect had previously been arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in 2011 after ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin in an attempt to travel to Austria.
He was subsequently prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison before allegedly changing his name from Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and returning to the illicit drug business.
A search of his residence at Ejigbo, Lagos, also led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those allegedly used to conceal the intercepted cocaine, with their internal components removed to create space for drugs.
In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at over N1.1 billion, concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment from Pakistan.
The agency also seized 57.80kg of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis valued at over N173 million, concealed in cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment from Singapore.
Another major seizure occurred in Ondo State, where NDLEA officers intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, after its driver allegedly refused to stop along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway.
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, hidden alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.
At the Tincan Port in Lagos, the agency also intercepted 598.08kg, comprising 890 packets, of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies in a 40-foot container on September 2.
The consignment was linked to three suspects already in custody over an earlier seizure of 842.54kg of cannabis-laced cookies.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills, particularly tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect, Patrick KC Frank, whose Honda Civic reportedly rammed an NDLEA patrol vehicle before he escaped.
Also in the state, 35-year-old Calistus Ebubechukwu, described by the agency as a major methamphetamine supplier from Lagos to Mubi and Michika, was arrested with 2kg of the substance.
The agency further intercepted Attahiru Hussaini at Namtari checkpoint in Mubi with a large consignment of tramadol and other opioids concealed in a soap-laden Ford Galaxy bus.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 2,386.9kg of cannabis, 350 grammes of cocaine, more than 100kg of assorted grades of tramadol, 9.7 litres of codeine syrup and 4kg of Rohypnol at Gbaji.
Two suspects, Damilare Francis and Emeh Emmanuel, were also arrested with 720kg of cannabis at Agbara.
In Kogi State, three suspects — Saidu Mustapha, 35; Zaharadeen Salisu, 29; and AbdulSalam Abdullahi, 25 — were arrested with 636kg of cannabis concealed in chicken manure inside a bus travelling from Owo, Ondo State, to Jos, Plateau State.
Taraba State also recorded the arrest of 58-year-old Kelechi Unachukwu along Zaki-Biam Road, Wukari, with more than 109kg of assorted pharmaceutical opioids and psychotropic substances allegedly being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.
In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck loaded with cement bags along the Zaria-Kano Expressway and recovered 1,179kg of skunk.
Meanwhile, in Bauchi, 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.
In Ekiti State, two suspects, Chuks Alex, 50, and Asafa Adekunle, 35, were arrested after NDLEA operatives discovered and destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in Efon-Alaaye forest, recovering 117kg of already-harvested skunk.
In Enugu State, 20-year-old Obinna David was arrested at Ugbema Junction with 40,590 capsules of tramadol.
Babafemi said NDLEA commands and formations across the country also sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The initiatives included enlightenment lectures for nursing mothers and nurses at Ibereko Primary Health Centre in Abeokuta North, Ogun State, youths in Umouji/Okwo community in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, as well as staff and concessionaires at the Saipem-Daewoo, NLNG terminal in Bonny, Rivers State.
The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers and men of the DOGI, MMIA, Ondo, Tincan, Lagos, Adamawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu Commands for what he described as professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa urged them and other personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
He warned that drug traffickers who believe they can evade law enforcement by assuming new identities or operating under legitimate business fronts would continue to be tracked down.
