The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after he was found to have ingested 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.51 kilogrammes.
Cyril was arrested on Sunday, August 2, 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930, according to a statement issued by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
The agency said the suspect was travelling to Italy through Addis Ababa and France when he was intercepted at the airport. He was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 98 wraps of cocaine.
According to the NDLEA, investigations showed that Cyril had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and later ingested the drug at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that he had been doing business in Italy for several years before agreeing to traffic the cocaine for €3,500, which he said was intended to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
In a related development, the agency said its operatives foiled several attempts to traffic cocaine and cannabis through courier companies, roads, ports and other locations across the country.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in 25 phone chargers and another 500 grammes hidden in the false bottom of a backpack destined for Italy. The agency also seized 2.3 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, from a consignment arriving from the United States.
Along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway, operatives intercepted a truck allegedly conveying 1,633 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in bags of rice shafts. Two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
The agency also reported the recovery of 731.03 kilogrammes of cannabis from a drug warehouse in Elebure village, Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where a 57-year-old suspect, Felicia Thompson, was arrested.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, recovered 604.5 kilogrammes of skunk packed in 65 jumbo bags at Ewe Luleha, Owan West Local Government Area. Another suspect, Chibuike Charles, 31, was arrested in Abia State with seven kilogrammes of skunk.
The agency further said it arrested a wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, at the Fibre Market drug jungle in Badagry, Lagos, after a three-month manhunt. Some 88.5 kilogrammes of skunk were reportedly recovered from him.
At the Tin Can Island Port complex in Lagos, NDLEA officers, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, discovered 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies weighing 309.4 kilogrammes in a 40-foot container. A suspect, Larry Nnaji, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Commenting on the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved and urged them to sustain the agency’s drug control efforts.
Marwa said the officers should continue with the agency’s “balanced approach to the drug control efforts” while maintaining the momentum of ongoing operations against drug trafficking and abuse.
The NDLEA also said its commands across the country continued with its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign, taking drug prevention messages to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.Source:
