Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly returned to the illicit drug trade after serving a five-year prison sentence and later disguised himself as a herbal tea businessman.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market in the Ojo area of Lagos State, on Friday, September 4.
According to the NDLEA, the arrest followed an intelligence-led investigation into a cocaine shipment intercepted by the agency and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In a statement issued by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the agency said its Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) successfully tracked the alleged mastermind after operatives intercepted 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers at a courier company in Lagos on July 31.
The interception reportedly triggered a painstaking investigation aimed at identifying the person behind the shipment. Investigators eventually traced the suspected mastermind to Lagos, where he was arrested while allegedly presenting himself as a herbal tea merchant.
Babafemi said the suspect admitted during interrogation that he had masterminded some illicit drug shipments in the past. He reportedly told investigators that he discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted by NDLEA operatives.
Further investigation, according to the agency, revealed that Ebubechukwu had previously been arrested and prosecuted for drug trafficking.
The NDLEA spokesperson said the suspect was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, after he allegedly ingested 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin in an attempt to travel to Austria.
At the time of that arrest, the agency said he was operating under the name Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch. He was subsequently prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for the offence.
After completing his sentence, however, the NDLEA alleged that he changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and eventually returned to the illegal drug business.
A search conducted at his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, on Friday, September 4, reportedly yielded phone chargers similar to those used to conceal the cocaine shipment earlier intercepted by the agency.
According to Babafemi, the internal components of the recovered chargers had been removed, creating spaces that could be used to conceal illicit drugs.
The development highlights the methods allegedly employed by drug traffickers to disguise narcotics shipments and evade detection by law enforcement agencies. The NDLEA has intensified intelligence-led operations at airports, courier facilities, highways and other strategic locations as part of efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.
In a separate operation carried out the same day, NDLEA operatives also intercepted a fuel tanker allegedly being used to transport a large quantity of cannabis concealed alongside its legitimate cargo.
The 20,000-litre tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, was reportedly intercepted along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway in Ondo State after its driver allegedly refused to stop when directed to do so by NDLEA officers.
According to Babafemi, the driver eventually abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the surrounding bush.
NDLEA officers subsequently searched the vehicle and discovered a concealed compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing approximately 2,145 kilogrammes.
The illicit consignment was reportedly hidden alongside the legitimate fuel cargo, which was destined for Jos, Plateau State.
The agency described the tanker as a vehicle that had allegedly evaded arrest during previous operations, making its interception a significant development in the NDLEA’s efforts to dismantle drug trafficking routes.
The two operations demonstrate the increasingly sophisticated methods allegedly being employed by traffickers, including the use of legitimate businesses, courier services, modified consumer products and commercial vehicles to conceal and transport illicit drugs.
The NDLEA said investigations into the arrested suspect and the intercepted tanker are continuing. The agency is expected to establish the identities of other individuals who may have been involved in the trafficking networks and determine the wider extent of their operations.
The arrests also underscore the importance of intelligence gathering and sustained surveillance in tackling drug trafficking, particularly as criminal networks continue to develop new ways of concealing narcotics and disguising their activities.
Authorities have repeatedly urged members of the public to support efforts against illicit drug trafficking by providing relevant information to law enforcement agencies.
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