Daud Olatunji
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 30-year-old Nigerian businessman based in Italy after he allegedly ingested 98 wraps of cocaine in Anambra State and attempted to smuggle them out of the country through the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
The suspect, identified as Joseph Cyril, was arrested on Sunday, August 2, during the outward clearance of passengers for an Ethiopian Airlines flight, ET930, to Addis Ababa.
According to the NDLEA, Cyril was subsequently placed under excretion observation after officers suspected that he had swallowed illicit drugs.
The agency said the suspect later excreted 98 wraps containing cocaine with a combined weight of 1.510 kilogrammes.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the development in a statement on Sunday.
Babafemi said preliminary investigations showed that Cyril had travelled from Italy to Nigeria on July 13, 2026, allegedly to collect the consignment before returning to Europe.
The agency said he ingested the drug in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to catch his flight.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect admitted that he agreed to traffic the cocaine for €3,500.
The agency quoted him as saying that he had lived and conducted business in Italy for several years but accepted the deal to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family resides.
The arrest was part of a wider series of operations by the anti-narcotics agency targeting international drug trafficking through airports, courier companies and shipping firms.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives reportedly intercepted 1.2kg of cocaine concealed inside 25 phone chargers in a consignment allegedly destined for Saudi Arabia.
The seizure was made at a courier company, according to the agency.
The NDLEA also said its officers intercepted another 500 grammes of cocaine concealed in a false compartment of a backpack at a separate logistics company on Monday, August 3.
The consignment was allegedly bound for Italy.
In another operation, operatives intercepted 2.3kg of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, allegedly shipped from the United States.
The consignment was seized at a shipping company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 4.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations.
Marwa urged NDLEA personnel across the country to sustain what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
The latest operations highlight the continued use of Nigerian airports and commercial logistics channels by suspected international drug trafficking networks attempting to move illicit substances to destinations in Europe and the Middle East.
The NDLEA said investigations into the Enugu arrest and the other seizures were ongoing.
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