National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have announced the arrest of a 30-year-old Italy-based Nigerian businessman, Joseph Cyril, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu.
He was reportedly arrested after he allegedly ingested 98 wraps of cocaine while attempting to travel to Italy through Ethiopia and France.
The anti-narcotics agency said Cyril was intercepted at the departure hall of the airport on Sunday, August 2, during the outward clearance of passengers boarding Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930 to Addis Ababa.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect was immediately placed under excretion observation after officers suspected he had swallowed illicit drugs.
The agency said he subsequently excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing a total of 1.510 kilograms.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency disclosed that investigations showed the suspect had travelled from Italy to Nigeria weeks before his arrest to pick up the illicit consignment.
“Investigations revealed that Cyril had arrived Nigeria from Italy on 13th July 2026 and ingested the drug in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State before proceeding to Enugu to board his flight to Europe on Sunday 2nd August,” the statement said.
The NDLEA said the suspect admitted during interrogation that he agreed to smuggle the cocaine in exchange for €3,500.
According to the agency, Cyril told investigators that he had lived and conducted business in Italy for several years but decided to traffic the drugs to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family currently resides.
“In his statement, he claimed he has been doing business in Italy for years before agreeing to traffic the drug consignment for a fee of 3,500 Euros in order to raise money to relocate to Germany where his family is based,” statement noted.
The agency also announced the interception of multiple cocaine shipments allegedly destined for Europe and the Middle East through courier and logistics companies in Lagos.
According to the statement, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt by drug trafficking syndicates to export 1.2 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside 25 phone chargers bound for Saudi Arabia.
The seizure was made at a courier company in Lagos.
The agency further disclosed that another attempt to smuggle 500 grams of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of a backpack destined for Italy was also thwarted at a separate logistics company on Monday, August 3.
In another operation, NDLEA officers intercepted a consignment of 2.3 kilograms of “Loud”—a synthetic strain of cannabis—shipped from the United States.
The illicit consignment was seized at a shipping company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 4, according to the agency.
Commenting on the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the arrests and seizures.
The statement quoted Marwa to have urged the operatives “and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.”
The latest arrests and seizures come amid intensified anti-drug operations by the NDLEA targeting international drug trafficking networks using Nigerian airports, courier firms and shipping companies to move illicit substances to Europe, the Middle East and other destinations.
