NDLEA Nabs Convicted Trafficker in Lagos, Seizes Cocaine & Cannabis Tanker

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have successfully apprehended a convicted cocaine trafficker in Lagos, who had been operating under the guise of a herbal tea merchant. This significant arrest follows the interception of a cocaine consignment bound for Saudi Arabia and a separate seizure of a fuel tanker laden with hard drugs.

According to a statement released by the agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the operation commenced after a 1.2kg cocaine shipment, cleverly concealed within phone chargers and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31. The Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) of the NDLEA then embarked on a meticulous, intelligence-led investigation to identify and track the mastermind.

This painstaking effort culminated in a sting operation on Friday, September 4, at Article Market, located opposite Trade Fair Market in the Ojo area of Lagos. There, 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, the alleged ringleader, was taken into custody while posing as a herbal tea businessman. In his confessional statement, Ebubechukwu admitted to orchestrating several past illicit drug shipments, revealing that he discarded his telephone SIM card upon learning of the interception of his latest consignment by the NDLEA.

Further investigations unveiled Ebubechukwu’s extensive history with drug trafficking. He was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, after attempting to smuggle 900 grams of cocaine and 130 grams of heroin by ingesting them. At that time, he operated under the name Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch, intending to fly to Austria. He was subsequently prosecuted, convicted, and served a five-year jail term. Following his release, he changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and resumed his criminal activities. On the same day of his recent arrest, September 4, a search conducted at his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, led to the discovery of phone chargers identical to those used in the intercepted cocaine shipment, with their internal components removed to create hidden compartments for drugs.

In a separate but related incident also on Friday, September 4, NDLEA officers pursued a 20,000-litre fuel tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, along the Akoko/Lokoja expressway in Ondo state. The tanker, known for its history of evading arrest, refused to stop. Its driver eventually abandoned the vehicle at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into nearby bushes. A subsequent search of the tanker revealed a false compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis, weighing a total of 2,145kg, hidden alongside its legitimate fuel cargo. The illicit consignment was reportedly headed for Jos, Plateau state.