Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a convicted drug trafficker who allegedly disguised himself as a herbal tea businessman while directing illicit drug shipments, including a 1.2kg cocaine consignment bound for Saudi Arabia.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed in a statement on Sunday that 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu was arrested in a sting operation at Article Market, near the Trade Fair Market in Ojo, Lagos, on Friday, 4 September.
Investigations revealed Ebubechukwu was previously convicted and sentenced to five years in prison after being arrested at Lagos airport in 2011 with 900 grams of cocaine and 130 grams of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria under an alias. Following his release, he changed his name and resumed trafficking operations. A search of his Lagos residence yielded modified phone chargers matching those used to conceal the intercepted Saudi-bound cocaine.
Nationwide crackdown yields major seizures
The arrest forms part of a coordinated crackdown across nine states, during which NDLEA officers intercepted high-value drug shipments and illicit operations:
- Lagos Airport: Operatives recovered 966,200 tramadol tablets valued at over ₦1.1bn hidden among thrift trousers from Pakistan, alongside 57.8kg of synthetic cannabis (“Loud”) valued at ₦173m shipped from Singapore.
- Tincan Port, Lagos: Officers intercepted 598kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies in a 40-foot container, arresting three suspects linked to a previous 842kg cannabis seizure.
- Ondo State: Authorities seized a 20,000-litre fuel tanker along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway containing a false compartment packed with 2,145kg of cannabis alongside its fuel cargo.
- Adamawa State: Operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills from a residence in Jimeta after a suspect rammed an NDLEA vehicle to escape, while a separate raid in Michika netted a methamphetamine supplier carrying 2kg of the drug.
- Regional Interceptions: Large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, and psychotropic substances were also seized in Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi, Enugu, and Ekiti, where officers destroyed a four-hectare cannabis plantation in Efon-Alaaye forest.
Re-offenders will be tracked
Commending the involved commands for their intelligence-driven operations, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) warned that traffickers attempting to evade detection under new identities or legitimate business covers would continue to be hunted down and prosecuted.
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