The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, over an alleged attempt to smuggle 1.2kg of cocaine to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, concealed inside phone chargers.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said Ebubechukwu was arrested on Friday, September 4, 2026, during an intelligence-led sting operation at Article Market, Ojo, Lagos. The arrest followed weeks of tracking after the cocaine shipment was intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31. A search of his Ejigbo residence reportedly uncovered phone chargers similar to those allegedly modified to conceal drugs.
The agency said investigations showed that Ebubechukwu had previously been arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after allegedly ingesting cocaine and heroin while attempting to travel to Austria. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison but was allegedly involved in drug trafficking again after changing his name.
The latest arrest was part of wider NDLEA operations across the country, during which officers recovered large quantities of Tramadol and other opioids, cannabis, methamphetamine and cannabis-infused products. Among the seizures were 966,200 Tramadol tablets at Lagos airport, 2,145kg of cannabis concealed in a fuel tanker in Ondo and 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies at Tincan Port.
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers and warned traffickers that changing identities or hiding illegal activities behind legitimate businesses would not shield them from detection.
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