NDLEA Nabs Italy-Based Businessman at Enugu Airport with 98 Wraps of Cocaine

​Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. The arrest occurred at the airport’s departure hall during the outward clearance of passengers aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930.

​According to anti-narcotics officials, Cyril was intercepted after routine checks raised suspicions. Placed under observation, the suspect subsequently excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing a total of 1.510 kilograms.

​Preliminary investigations revealed that Cyril arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and ingested the illicit substance inside a hotel room in Awka, Anambra State, before traveling to Enugu to catch his connecting flight to Europe via Addis Ababa and France. During interrogation, the suspect admitted to operating a business in Italy for several years before accepting the trafficking assignment. He claimed he was offered a fee of 3,500 Euros to smuggle the narcotics, funds he intended to use to relocate his family to Germany.

​The Enugu operation forms part of a nationwide series of major drug seizures and arrests conducted by the agency over the past week. In Lagos, courier and logistics firms were targeted, leading to the interception of 1.2 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside 25 phone chargers bound for Saudi Arabia, alongside 500 grams of cocaine concealed in a backpack heading to Italy. Additionally, a 2.3kg consignment of “Loud,” a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from the United States, was intercepted at a Lagos shipping firm.

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​Further enforcement actions yielded significant quantities of illicit substances across multiple states:

• ​Ondo State: Operatives along the Akure-Ilesha expressway intercepted a truck transporting 1,633 kilograms of skunk concealed within bags of rice shafts, arresting two suspects: Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30. A separate raid on the Ita Ogbolu forest recovered an additional 147kg of skunk.
• ​Oyo State: Acting on intelligence, agents raided a warehouse in Elebure village, Orire Local Government Area, seizing 731.03 kilograms of cannabis and arresting 57-year-old Felicia Thompson, while her accomplice remains at large.
• ​Edo State: Security forces backed by military personnel recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5kg at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area.
• ​Abia State: A drug joint operator, Chibuike Charles, was taken into custody during a raid at his base in Osisioma Local Government Area, where 7kg of skunk was confiscated.
• ​Lagos State: A long-wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, was captured at the fibre market drug jungle in Badagry following a three-month manhunt, with 88.5kg of skunk recovered. Additionally, a joint inspection at the Tincan port complex uncovered 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies weighing 309.4kg, leading to the arrest of a suspect, Larry Nnaji.

​Concurrently, NDLEA formations nationwide continued their preventive sensitization efforts through the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting advocacy and educational lectures in secondary schools, higher institutions, and religious centers.

​Commending the various commands for their vigilance and successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged officers across the country to maintain a balanced approach combining aggressive interdiction with ongoing demand-reduction strategies.