The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 34-year-old suspected drug trafficker who allegedly operated under the guise of an herbal tea business.
The suspect, identified as Dunu Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos State, on Friday, September 4, 2026.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect came under investigation after operatives intercepted 1.2kg of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers at a Lagos courier company on July 31. The consignment was reportedly destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Babafemi said Ebubechukwu allegedly admitted during questioning that he had masterminded previous drug shipments and discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.
The agency also said the suspect had previously been arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in 2011 after allegedly ingesting 900g of cocaine and 130g of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.
He was reportedly prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. The NDLEA said he later changed his name before allegedly returning to illicit drug activities.
A search of his residence in Ejigbo, Lagos, reportedly led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those allegedly used to conceal the intercepted cocaine. The agency said the internal components of the chargers had been removed to create space for drugs.
In a separate operation in Ondo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway.
The agency said the driver failed to stop when ordered and later abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko before escaping into a nearby bush.
A search of the tanker allegedly uncovered a hidden compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg, alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly being transported to Jos, Plateau State.
At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives also seized 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, which the agency estimated to have a street value of more than ₦1.1bn.
The tablets were reportedly concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton shipment from Pakistan.
Another seizure in Lagos involved 57.8kg of Loud, a potent form of cannabis, reportedly valued at more than ₦173m. The substance was allegedly hidden inside cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment from Singapore that had remained unclaimed.
At the Lagos seaport, operatives intercepted 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies packed in a 40-foot container. The agency linked the shipment to three suspects already in custody over an earlier seizure involving 842.54kg of similar products.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives reportedly recovered 864,000 opioid tablets, mainly Tramadol, from a residence linked to a suspect identified as Patrick KC Frank, who allegedly fled after his Honda Civic collided with an NDLEA patrol vehicle.
The agency also announced the arrest of 35-year-old Calistus Ebubechukwu in Michika with 2kg of suspected methamphetamine. He was described by the NDLEA as an alleged supplier operating between Lagos and the Mubi-Michika axis.
At Namtari checkpoint in Mubi, another suspect, Attahiru Hussaini, was reportedly arrested with a large consignment of Tramadol and other opioids concealed in a Ford Galaxy bus carrying soap.
Other operations across the country also resulted in multiple arrests and seizures.
In Lagos, NDLEA officials said they recovered 2,386.9kg of cannabis, 350g of cocaine, more than 100kg of assorted Tramadol, 9.7 litres of codeine syrup and 4kg of Rohypnol at Gbaji. Two suspects were also reportedly arrested at Agbara with 720kg of cannabis.
In Kogi State, three men identified as Saidu Mustapha, Zaharadeen Salisu and AbdulSalam Abdullahi were arrested with 636kg of cannabis allegedly concealed in chicken manure inside a bus travelling from Ondo State to Plateau State.
In Taraba State, 58-year-old Kelechi Unachukwu was arrested along Zaki-Biam Road, Wukari, with more than 109kg of assorted controlled substances. The NDLEA said the drugs were allegedly being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.
In Kaduna, operatives reportedly intercepted a truck carrying cement along the Zaria-Kano Expressway and recovered 1,179kg of cannabis concealed in the vehicle.
The agency also arrested 25-year-old Hamza Dahiru in Bauchi following the seizure of 322.5kg of cannabis in Deba, Gombe State, on September 1.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives reportedly discovered and destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in the Efon-Alaaye forest. Two suspects, Chuks Alex, 50, and Asafa Adekunle, 35, were arrested, while 117kg of harvested cannabis was recovered.
In Enugu State, 20-year-old Obinna David was reportedly arrested at Ugbema Junction with 40,590 capsules of Tramadol.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to maintain the agency’s intelligence-led approach to combating drug trafficking.
Marwa warned that suspected traffickers attempting to evade law enforcement by changing identities or operating through legitimate businesses would continue to face investigation.
He also directed NDLEA commands and formations to combine enforcement activities with drug-awareness campaigns under the War Against Drug Abuse initiative in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities.
