Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA have detained a 30-year-old Nigerian businessman residing in Italy, Joseph Cyril at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu for allegedly swallowing 98 wraps of cocaine.
He was seized Sunday, August 2, 2026, as passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy via Addis Ababa and France were being cleared for departure.
The NDLEA said Cyril was put under excretion observation after his detention and later ejected 98 wraps of cocaine totalling 1.510 kilogrammes.
The agency said its investigation revealed that the suspect visited Nigeria from Italy on July 13, and reportedly took the cocaine at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State before proceeding to Enugu to take his flight.
Cyril told detectives he had been doing business in Italy for some years before agreeing to bring the narcotics for €3,500. He is reported to have told police he wanted the cash to help him go to Germany where his family is based.
NDLEA also stated that there were several more narcotics interceptions around the country.
In Lagos, operatives foiled an attempt to export 1.2kg of cocaine hidden in 25 phone chargers bound for Saudi Arabia.
Another 500 grams of cocaine, placed in the false bottom of a rucksack and purportedly heading for Italy, was seized at another logistics company on 3 August.
NDLEA officers on August 4 also intercepted 2.3kg of Loud, a strong type of cannabis smuggled in from the United States.
On August 4, NDLEA operatives halted a truck heading northward along the Akure-Ilesha Motorway in Ondo State.
The agency stated the 1,633kg of skunk was hidden in bags of rice shafts.
Two suspects, 40-year-old Buba Jamilu and 30-year-old Sanusi Ibrahim were arrested in connection with the consignment.
A separate raid at Ita Ogbolu forest on August 3 recovered another 147kg of skunk.
In Oyo State, NDLEA officers on August 3 raided a narcotics warehouse at Elebure village in Orire Local Government Area based on intelligence.
The operation led to the seizure of 731.03kg of cannabis and the arrest of a 57-year-old suspect, Felicia Thompson.
Her alleged accomplice, Thompson Vincent Nwaka, is still on the run, the agency added.
Operatives of the NDLEA with the support of troops on August 5 intercepted 65 giant bags of skunk weighing 604.5kg at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State.
Powerline Base, Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State, on Sunday, apprehended Chibuike Charles, 31, a suspected drug joint operator during a raid at Samec. Officers seized 7kg of skunk during the operation.
A wanted drug dealer, one Adome Claude Sikuru, was nabbed on August 8, at the Fibre Market drug jungle in Badagry, Lagos, after a three-month manhunt.
The NDLEA stated they found 88.5kg of skunk from him at the time of his arrest.
NDLEA personnel, in conjunction with Customs and other security agencies, intercepted 73 cartons containing 442 packs of cookies and gummies laced with cannabis within the Tin Can Island Port complex, Lagos.
The items, which weighed a total of 309.4kg, were discovered in a 40-foot container during an inspection on 4 August.
Police have apprehended a suspect, Larry Nnaji, in connection with the seizure.
The NDLEA said its commands across the country also continued with its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, religious institutions, workplaces and communities.
The agency said its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the officers who participated in the operations and charged them to keep up the agency’s drug-control activities across the nation.
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