NDLEA arrests Italy-based businessman with 98 cocaine wraps at Enugu airport
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman for allegedly ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine in Anambra State before attempting to smuggle the drugs to Italy.
The suspect was arrested on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect was travelling to Italy through Addis Ababa and France when operatives intercepted him.
He was subsequently placed under excretion observation and expelled 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510kg, the agency said in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The NDLEA said investigations showed that the suspect arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and later ingested the drugs at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight back 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.
He said he accepted the offer in an attempt to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
The NDLEA also reported a series of other drug seizures and arrests across the country.
In Lagos, operatives intercepted 1.2kg of cocaine concealed in 25 phone chargers destined for Saudi Arabia.
Another 500g of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of a backpack and allegedly intended for shipment to Italy was intercepted at a separate logistics company on Monday, August 3.
On Tuesday, August 4, NDLEA operatives at another shipping company in Lagos seized 2.3kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, imported from the United States.
In Ondo State, officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway intercepted a truck heading north on Tuesday. The vehicle was found carrying 1,633kg of skunk concealed in bags of rice shafts. Two suspects were arrested.
The agency also recovered 147kg of skunk from Ita Ogbolu Forest during a raid on Monday, August 3.
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a drug warehouse in Elebure village, Orire Local Government Area, on Monday.
The operation led to the recovery of 731.03kg of illicit drugs and the arrest of a 57-year-old suspect. The agency said the suspect’s alleged partner remains at large.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5kg at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area on Wednesday, August 5.
In Abia State, a suspected drug joint operator, 31-year-old Chibuike Charles, was arrested during a raid at his Samec by Powerline base in Osisioma Local Government Area on Thursday, August 6.
Seven kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from the location.
In Lagos, a wanted drug dealer was arrested at the Fibre Market drug jungle in Badagry on Saturday, August 8, following a three-month manhunt. The NDLEA said 88.5kg of skunk was recovered from him.
At the Tin Can Island Port Complex in Lagos, NDLEA officers, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies.
The consignment, weighing 309.4kg, was discovered during the joint examination of a 40-foot container on Tuesday, August 4. A suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure.
The NDLEA also said its commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign during the week.
The agency conducted enlightenment lectures for 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 in Port Harcourt.
Commending officers and personnel of the Drug Demand Reduction and other commands involved in the operations, the NDLEA chairman and chief executive officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), urged personnel to sustain what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.