NDLEA Arrests Brazil-Based Nigerian With Cocaine Hidden In Private Parts, Shoes

According to Ireporter Online, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, over an alleged attempt to smuggle cocaine into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

The suspect, aged 47, was apprehended on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at the airport’s arrival hall during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg. The arrest, the agency said, was based on actionable intelligence gathered ahead of the operation.

NDLEA officials disclosed that Onyekwere was subjected to a full-body scan, which indicated the presence of foreign objects concealed on his body. A subsequent physical examination led to the recovery of a large parcel of a white powdery substance wrapped around his right thigh. Further search revealed two additional wraps hidden in the soles of the flat shoes he was wearing.

The substance was later confirmed to be cocaine, with a total of three wraps recovered, weighing 1.60 kilograms. During preliminary interrogation, the suspect reportedly admitted purchasing the illicit drugs in Brazil with plans to sell them in Nigeria. He explained that the proceeds were intended to boost his business operations and support the naming ceremony of his newborn child.

Investigators also learned that Onyekwere, who resides in São Paulo, Brazil, has lived in the South American country since 2008 and has operated a toy business for about nine years.

In a related development, the NDLEA recorded a major seizure at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, where a container imported from Montreal, Canada, was found to contain 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 1,183 kilograms. The discovery was made on Wednesday, January 28, during a joint examination involving NDLEA operatives, Customs officials and other security agencies. The illicit drugs were reportedly concealed inside two vehicles—a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix—packed within the container.

Meanwhile, in Niger State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a long truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours of Tuesday, January 26. Three suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms, along with one kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic variant of cannabis. Investigations revealed that the truck driver had earlier transported flour from Lagos to Edo State before agreeing to convey the illicit drugs for a fee of N1.7 million.

The agency also carried out multiple arrests and seizures across Edo, Anambra, Ondo and Kano states. In Edo, a suspect was arrested while transporting 66 bags of skunk concealed in charcoal sacks, while a large cannabis farm spanning over 1.6 hectares was raided and destroyed in Esan South East Local Government Area, with several suspects taken into custody. Processed cannabis and seeds were also recovered from the site.

In Anambra State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a cement truck in Onitsha, uncovering over 345 kilograms of skunk hidden among bags of cement, leading to the arrest of one suspect. Two other suspects were apprehended in Ondo State in connection with the seizure of 473 kilograms of skunk, while in Kano, operatives recovered thousands of ampoules of pentazocine injection and pills of tramadol during separate operations.

Further arrests were recorded in Lagos and at the Seme border, where NDLEA operatives intercepted additional quantities of cannabis concealed in luggage, sound equipment and food items.

The agency said its officers have also intensified drug abuse prevention campaigns across schools, religious institutions, workplaces and communities nationwide. Commending the efforts of operatives involved in the various operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to curbing drug supply while addressing drug demand across the country.