NDLEA Nabs Ex-Convict Posing as Herbal Tea Merchant Over Saudi Cocaine Ring

​Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a trans-national drug syndicate following the arrest of 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, a convicted trafficker who masterminded cocaine shipments to Saudi Arabia under the façade of a herbal tea business.

​The breakthrough came after a meticulous, intelligence-led operation by the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI). The trail began on July 31, 2026, when anti-narcotics operatives at a Lagos courier firm intercepted a 1.2-kilogramme consignment of cocaine destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The illicit substance was cleverly packed inside modified phone chargers with their internal components gutted to create hollow compartments for the drugs.

​Following digital and physical tracking, DOGI operatives pinned down the mastermind on Friday, September 4, 2026, executing a sting operation at the Article Market, situated opposite the Trade Fair Market in the Ojo area of Lagos. Upon interrogation, Ebubechukwu admitted to orchestrating multiple past shipments, confessing that he routinely discarded his telephone SIM cards whenever an interception occurred to throw investigators off balance.

​A subsequent search of his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, yielded corroborating evidence, including matching phone chargers identically modified for drug concealment.

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​A History of Recidivism

​Investigations into the suspect’s background reveal a deep-seated criminal pedigree. Ebubechukwu is an unrepentant recidivist who was first arrested 15 years ago. On that occasion in 2011, he was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, after ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin bound for Austria. Operating then under the alias Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch, he was prosecuted and subsequently sentenced to five years imprisonment.

​Rather than turning a new leaf upon completing his sentence, he merely updated his identity to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and reintegrated into elite narcotics trafficking networks.

​Nationwide Sweep Netting Tankers and Psychotropic Drugs

​The arrest of the Lagos-based kingpin forms part of a broader, coordinated nationwide offensive executed by the agency. In tandem with the Lagos operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker specifically retrofitted with a hidden compartment designed to smuggle illicit substances.

​Massive quantities of dangerous psychoactive substances—including cannabis, tramadol, and methamphetamine—were simultaneously recovered across several other states, spanning Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba, and Enugu.

​The arrested suspect is currently undergoing further interrogation and is expected to face swift prosecution as the agency digs deeper into the remnants of his international trafficking web.

​NDLEA Arrested India-Bound Businessman With 1.550kg of Cocaine

​This video provides additional context on recent operations and arrests conducted by the NDLEA targeting high-profile drug traffickers utilizing clever concealment methods.