NDLEA Arrests Italy-Based Businessman with 98 Wraps of Cocaine in Enugu
A 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after he allegedly ingested 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.51kg.
The suspect was arrested on Sunday, August 2, 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930, en route to Italy through Addis Ababa and France.
According to a statement by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, August 9, Cyril was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 98 wraps of cocaine with a combined weight of 1.510kg.
Investigations revealed that the suspect arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and allegedly ingested the drug at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight to Europe.
Cyril 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 said was intended to help him raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
The NDLEA also disclosed that its operatives thwarted several other attempts to traffic illicit drugs through different routes in the country.
In Lagos, operatives intercepted 1.2kg of cocaine concealed in 25 phone chargers at a courier company. Another 500g of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of a backpack and destined for Italy was intercepted at a different logistics company on August 3.
The agency also intercepted 2.3kg of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, in a consignment shipped from the United States through another logistics company in Lagos on August 4.
On the Akure-Ilesha Expressway, NDLEA officers on patrol intercepted a truck conveying 1,633kg of skunk concealed in bags of rice shafts and arrested two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30.
The agency said a further 147kg of skunk was recovered from Ita Ogbolu Forest during a raid on August 3.
In Oyo State, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided a drug warehouse in Elebure village, Orire Local Government Area, on August 3, recovering 731.03kg of illicit drugs and arresting a 57-year-old suspect, Felicia Thompson. Her alleged partner, Thompson Vincent Nwaka, remains at large.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5kg at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State on August 5.
In Abia State, a 31-year-old drug joint operator, Chibuike Charles, was arrested during a raid at Samec by Powerline Base in Osisioma Local Government Area on August 6, with 7kg of skunk recovered.
The agency also announced the arrest of a wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, at the Fibre Market drug enclave in Badagry, Lagos, on August 8, following a three-month manhunt. NDLEA officers recovered 88.5kg of skunk from him at the point of arrest.
At the Tincan Port Complex in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, discovered 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies weighing 309.4kg during a joint examination of a 40-foot container on August 4.
A suspect, identified as Larry Nnaji, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA said its commands and formations across the country sustained public sensitisation activities under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, targeting schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The activities included enlightenment lectures at Islamic High School, Saki, and Holy Ghost Academy, Nkpor, Anambra State, as well as 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 in Port Harcourt.
The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended officers and personnel of the Directorate of General Investigation and Operations (DOGI), Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Abia, Seme and Tincan commands for their operational successes.
Marwa urged officers and their colleagues nationwide to sustain what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement operations with drug-demand reduction and public awareness initiatives.
By PRNigeria
