NDLEA arrests Italy-based businessman with 98 cocaine wraps at Enugu airport

Crime Diary

ENUGU, Nigeria (NPA) — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, identified as Joseph Cyril, for allegedly ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine while attempting to travel to Italy through Addis Ababa and France.

The suspect was arrested on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at the departure hall of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Cyril was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilogrammes.

Babafemi said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13, 2026, and allegedly ingested the drug in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight to Europe.

The suspect reportedly told investigators that he had been doing business in Italy for several years before agreeing to traffic the consignment for €3,500, which he intended to use to raise funds to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA said its operatives foiled several attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to export and distribute illicit drugs across the country.

In Lagos, operatives intercepted 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in 25 phone chargers destined for Saudi Arabia at a courier company.

A separate attempt to ship 500 grammes of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of a backpack to Italy was also thwarted at another logistics company on Monday, August 3.

The agency further disclosed that 2.3 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, originating from the United States, was intercepted at another shipping company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 4.

In another operation, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway on Tuesday intercepted a truck heading north with 1,633 kilogrammes of skunk allegedly concealed in bags of rice shafts.

Two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, were arrested in connection with the consignment.

The agency also recovered 147 kilogrammes of skunk from Ita Ogbolu Forest during a raid on Monday, August 3.

In Oyo State, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided a drug warehouse in Elebure Village, Orire Local Government Area, on Monday, recovering 731.03 kilogrammes of illicit drugs and arresting a 57-year-old suspect, Felicia Thompson.

The agency said her alleged partner, Thompson Vincent Nwaka, is currently at large.

Similarly, NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5 kilogrammes at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State on Wednesday, August 5.

In Abia State, operatives arrested Chibuike Charles, 31, during a raid on a drug joint at Samec by Powerline Base in Osisioma Local Government Area, where 7 kilogrammes of skunk was recovered.

In Lagos, a wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, was arrested on Saturday, August 8, at the Fibre Market drug jungle in Badagry following a three-month manhunt. NDLEA said 88.5 kilogrammes of skunk was recovered from him.

At the TinCan Port Complex, Lagos, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, discovered 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies weighing 309.4 kilogrammes during a joint examination of a 40-foot container on Tuesday, August 4.

A suspect, Larry Nnaji, was arrested in connection with the seizure.

Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.

The agency cited enlightenment lectures delivered to students and staff of Islamic High School, Saki, Oyo State; Holy Ghost Academy, Nkpor, Anambra State; and Madarasatul Hidayatul Aulad Islamiyya, Gaya, Kano State.

The Rivers State Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the management of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.

Commending officers and men of the DOGI, AIIA, Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Abia, Seme and TinCan Commands for their operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.

He called for continued enforcement operations alongside preventive measures, including public education and community-based sensitisation, in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.