Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a Brazil based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, for allegedly smuggling cocaine into the country.
The 47 year old suspect was apprehended on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg, following actionable intelligence.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA said a body scan carried out on the suspect confirmed the presence of illicit drugs concealed on his body, prompting further checks.
“A Brazil based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, was arrested by operatives of the NDLEA at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, for concealing parcels of cocaine on his body and in the soles of his footwear,” Babafemi said.
He explained that the suspect was subjected to a strip search after the scan revealed suspicious objects, adding that a large parcel of white powdery substance, which later tested positive for cocaine, was found wrapped around his right thigh.
Babafemi disclosed that further search led to the discovery of additional wraps of cocaine hidden in the sole of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect. “In all, three large wraps of cocaine with a total weight of 1.60 kilograms were recovered from his body and footwear,” he stated.
During preliminary interrogation, the suspect reportedly admitted purchasing the drugs in Brazil with the intention of reselling them in Nigeria. According to the NDLEA spokesman, Onyekwere said he planned to use the proceeds to raise capital for his business and to fund the naming ceremony of his newborn child.
“The suspect, who resides in São Paulo, Brazil, claimed he has lived there since 2008 and has been operating a toy business for about nine years,” Babafemi added.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, intercepted 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilograms. The agency said the drugs were discovered inside a container imported from Montreal, Canada, during a joint examination with Customs and other security agencies, and were concealed inside two vehicles, a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix.
The agency also recorded major seizures across several states. In Niger State, officers intercepted a truck along the Dei Dei Abuja Expressway conveying 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms, alongside one kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. Three suspects, Andy Chidogu, Kenneth Ogene and Sadiq Olanrewaju, were arrested in connection with the haul.
Babafemi said investigations revealed that the driver, Ogene, initially transported bags of flour from Lagos to Edo State before agreeing to convey the drugs for a fee of N1.7 million.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested Shaibu Yusuf with 66 bags of skunk weighing 792 kilograms concealed in charcoal sacks, while a cannabis farm at Ebora camp, Ilushi, Esan South East Local Government Area, was raided with the support of the Nigerian Army. Over 4,063 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on more than 1.6 hectares of farmland, with 328 kilograms of processed cannabis recovered.
Further arrests were recorded in Anambra, Ondo and Kano states, where large quantities of skunk, tramadol and pentazocine injections were seized, alongside multiple suspects.
