Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 34-year-old suspected drug kingpin, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, over a 1.2kg cocaine consignment concealed in phone chargers and intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31, 2026. The shipment was destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The arrest was made on Friday, September 4, 2026, in a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, Ojo area of Lagos. The suspect, who was posing as a herbal tea businessman, was tracked through intelligence-led operations by the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI. In his statement, he admitted to masterminding past drug shipments and said he discarded his SIM card after learning the latest consignment had been intercepted.
Further checks revealed that Ebubechukwu is a repeat offender. He was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport after ingesting 900g of cocaine and 130g of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria under the name Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch. He was prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in jail. After his release, he allegedly changed his name and returned to the trade. A search of his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, also led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those used to conceal drugs, with internal components removed to create space.
The Agency also recorded major seizures at the Lagos airport. On Thursday, September 3, a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies uncovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg worth over N1.1 billion hidden among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment from Pakistan. Also recovered was 57.80kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, worth over N173 million, concealed inside cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment from Singapore that had remained unclaimed for weeks.
Commending DOGI and other Commands , NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) urged officers to sustain the intelligence-driven approach. He warned that traffickers who attempt to reinvent themselves under new identities or legitimate business fronts “will continue to be tracked down.”
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