Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former Nigerian international footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, and a businessman, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, over an attempt to smuggle 22.6 kilograms of cocaine into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The NDLEA said Chinedu, a frequent international traveller, was intercepted on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, upon arrival from Turkey aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A search of his luggage reportedly uncovered 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800 grams concealed in his hand luggage.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who noted that Chinedu confessed to picking up the drug-laden bag during a stopover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“Investigation showed the suspect collected the luggage from another individual in Addis Ababa before proceeding to Nigeria,” Babafemi stated.
Further intelligence led operatives to Hunkarin, who was said to be waiting at the airport car park to receive the consignment. He was promptly arrested.
Hunkarin, once based in Brazil where he played professional football, reportedly admitted to previously trafficking drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia but denied ever importing illicit substances into Nigeria.
“I have only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia but never into Nigeria,” he allegedly told investigators.
The NDLEA said the suspects are currently in custody and undergoing further investigation, with plans underway to unravel the full extent of the trafficking network.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug cartels and bringing all involved to justice.
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