Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, after he ingested 98 wraps of cocaine allegedly destined for Europe.
Cyril was arrested on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at the airport’s departure hall during the outward clearance of passengers aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930. He was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilogrammes.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and allegedly ingested the drug in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight to Europe through Addis Ababa and France.
In his statement, Cyril said he had been doing business in Italy for several years before agreeing to traffic the consignment for €3,500, allegedly to raise funds to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
The arrest was among a series of successful operations carried out by NDLEA operatives across the country, resulting in the interception of large consignments of cocaine, cannabis and other illicit drugs.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives thwarted attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to export 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in 25 pieces of phone chargers destined for Saudi Arabia.
Similarly, on Monday, August 3, operatives at another logistics company intercepted 500 grammes of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of a backpack and allegedly destined for Italy.
On Tuesday, August 4, a separate consignment containing 2.3 kilogrammes of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, imported from the United States was intercepted at another shipping company in Lagos.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway intercepted a truck allegedly transporting 1,633 kilogrammes of skunk to the northern part of the country. The illicit drug was concealed in bags of rice shafts.
Two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, were arrested in connection with the consignment.
Also in Ondo, 147 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from Ita Ogbolu Forest during a raid conducted on Monday, August 3.
In Oyo State, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided a drug warehouse at Elebure village in Orire Local Government Area on Monday, recovering 731.03 kilogrammes of illicit drugs. A 57-year-old suspect, Felicia Thompson, was arrested, while her alleged partner, Thompson Vincent Nwaka, remains at large.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5 kilogrammes at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area on Wednesday, August 5.
In Abia State, a suspected drug joint operator, 31-year-old Chibuike Charles, was arrested during a raid at his Samec by Powerline base in Osisioma Local Government Area on Thursday, August 6. Seven kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from the operation.
Meanwhile, after a three-month manhunt, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 8, arrested a wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, at the Fibre Market drug enclave in Badagry, Lagos. A total of 88.5 kilogrammes of skunk was recovered from him at the point of arrest.
At the Tincan 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 during a joint examination of a 40-foot container on Tuesday, August 4.
A suspect, Larry Nnaji, has been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Beyond enforcement operations, NDLEA Commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The campaigns included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of Islamic High School, Saki, Oyo State; Holy Ghost Academy, Nkpor, Anambra State; and Madarasatul Hidayatul Aulad Islamiyya, Gaya, Kano State.
The Rivers State Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the management of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.
Commending the officers and men of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), AIIA, Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Abia, Seme and Tincan Commands for their successful operations, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
He reiterated the need for continued enforcement, drug prevention, sensitisation and other measures aimed at reducing the supply and demand for illicit drugs in Nigeria.