NDLEA arrests convicted cocaine trafficker, intercepts drug-laden fuel tanker

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Nigeria has made several arrests and seizures of illicit drugs in recent operations. A 34-year-old convicted cocaine trafficker named Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu was arrested in Lagos after a 1.2kg cocaine shipment, concealed in phone chargers, was intercepted at a courier company on July 31, 2026. Ebubechukwu had previously been arrested in 2011 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport for attempting to smuggle 900 grams of cocaine and 130 grams of heroin to Austria.

The agency also intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker with a concealed compartment in Ondo State, which contained 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg. In Lagos, they recovered 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies concealed in a 40-foot container, linked to three suspects previously arrested. Another operation in Michika resulted in the arrest of methamphetamine supplier Calistus Ebubechukwu with 2kg of the substance, and another suspect Attahiru Hussaini with a large consignment of tramadol and opioids.

NDLEA operatives across various states, including Adamawa, Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Enugu, and Enugu, made numerous arrests and seizures involving different types of drugs, including cocaine, tramadol, methamphetamine, and cannabis. These operations were part of the NDLEA's ongoing War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, and its efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.