The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 34-year-old convicted drug trafficker, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, over an alleged attempt to facilitate the shipment of 1.2kg of cocaine to Saudi Arabia.
The suspect was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, while allegedly operating under the guise of a herbal tea businessman.
According to NDLEA spokesperson on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, the arrest followed intelligence gathered after the cocaine consignment, which was destined for Riyadh, was intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31.
Babafemi said preliminary investigation revealed that Ebubechukwu had previously been convicted for drug trafficking and had returned to the illicit trade after serving his sentence.
The suspect was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after he allegedly ingested 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.
He was subsequently prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
The NDLEA said that after his release, the suspect changed his name and allegedly resumed his involvement in drug trafficking.
Following his latest arrest, operatives searched his residence in Ejigbo, Lagos, where they recovered phone chargers allegedly modified to create compartments for concealing drugs.
The agency said the suspect had discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that his latest drug shipment had been intercepted.
The arrest formed part of a wider series of intelligence-led operations conducted by the NDLEA across several states, resulting in the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs and the arrest of several suspects.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg, valued at more than N1.1bn, concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment from Pakistan.
The agency also seized 57.8kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, allegedly concealed inside cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment from Singapore.
At Tincan Port, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies contained in a 40-foot container.
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In Ondo State, a 20,000-litre fuel tanker allegedly fitted with a concealed compartment was intercepted after its driver reportedly refused to stop. The driver later abandoned the vehicle at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled.
A search of the tanker allegedly uncovered 2,145kg of cannabis packed in 165 bags in addition to its legitimate fuel cargo.
The agency also reported major seizures and arrests in Adamawa, Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti and Enugu states.
In Adamawa, NDLEA operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect, while another suspect was arrested in Michika with 2kg of methamphetamine.
In Ekiti State, operatives destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in Efon-Alaaye forest and recovered 117kg of already-harvested cannabis.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the agency’s personnel for the operations and urged them to sustain intelligence-driven efforts against drug trafficking.
Marwa warned that drug traffickers attempting to evade law enforcement by changing identities or hiding behind legitimate businesses would continue to be pursued.
The agency also said its commands nationwide continued public sensitisation campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse initiative during the week.