NDLEA Arrests Convicted Cocaine Trafficker Posing As Herbal Tea Merchant

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly disguised himself as a herbal tea merchant while continuing his involvement in illicit drug activities.

According to Ireporter Online, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement.

The agency said its operatives intercepted a 1.2kg consignment of cocaine at a courier company in Lagos on July 31, 2026. The substance was allegedly concealed inside phone chargers and was reportedly destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Following intelligence gathering and tracking operations by operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, the suspected mastermind was identified and subsequently arrested.

The suspect, 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was reportedly apprehended during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 2026, while allegedly posing as a herbal tea businessman.

In his statement to investigators, Ebubechukwu reportedly admitted involvement in previous illicit drug shipments. He also said he discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that his latest consignment had been intercepted by the NDLEA.

The agency said further investigations revealed that the suspect had previously been arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in 2011 after allegedly ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.

According to the NDLEA, he was prosecuted and convicted under the name Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch and sentenced to five years in prison. The agency alleged that he later changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu before returning to the illicit drug trade.

A search of his residence at Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, on Friday reportedly led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those allegedly used to conceal the intercepted cocaine. The internal components of the chargers had reportedly been removed to create spaces for concealing drugs.

The NDLEA also disclosed that its operatives intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker allegedly fitted with a concealed compartment for transporting illicit drugs as part of coordinated operations across the country.

The agency said additional consignments of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine and other psychotropic substances were recovered during operations conducted in Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu states.