Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, for ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine in an attempt to smuggle the illicit drug to Europe through the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu.
Cyril was arrested on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at the airport’s departure hall during the outward clearance of passengers aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930, en route to Italy via Addis Ababa and France.
Following his arrest, the suspect was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilogrammes.
NDLEA investigations revealed that Cyril had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and allegedly ingested the drug at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight to Europe.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that he had been doing business in Italy for several years before agreed to traffic the consignment for €3,500, which he intended to use to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA has intercepted several consignments of cocaine and other illicit drugs allegedly destined for Saudi Arabia, Italy and other locations as the agency intensified its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives at a courier company thwarted an attempt to export 1.2kg of cocaine concealed in 25 phone chargers to Saudi Arabia.
A similar attempt to send 500 grammes of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of a backpack to Italy was intercepted at another logistics company on Monday, August 3.
The agency also intercepted 2.3kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, imported from the United States through another shipping company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 4.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway intercepted a truck heading to the northern part of the country with 1,633kg of skunk concealed in bags of rice shafts.
Two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, who were allegedly transporting the consignment, were arrested.
Also in Ondo, operatives recovered 147kg of skunk from Ita Ogbolu Forest during a raid conducted on Monday, August 3.
In Oyo State, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided a drug warehouse at Elebure village in Orire Local Government Area on Monday, recovered 731.03kg of illicit drugs.
A 57-year-old suspect, Felicia Thompson, was arrested during the operation, while her alleged partner, Thompson Vincent Nwaka, remained at large.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5kg during an operation at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area on Wednesday, August 5.
In Abia State, a suspected drug joint operator, 31-year-old Chibuike Charles, was arrested during a raid at his Samec by Powerline base in Osisioma Local Government Area on Thursday, August 6.
Operatives recovered 7kg of skunk from the location.
Similarly, a notorious wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, was arrested at the Fibre Market drug jungle in Badagry, Lagos, on Saturday, August 8, following a three-month manhunt.
NDLEA operatives recovered 88.5kg of skunk from him at the point of arrest.
At the Tincan Port Complex in Lagos, NDLEA officers, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, discovered 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies weighing 309.4kg during a joint examination of a 40-foot container on Tuesday, August 4.
A suspect, Larry Nnaji, has been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Beyond its enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands and formations nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The campaigns included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of Islamic High School, Saki, Oyo State; Holy Ghost Academy, Nkpor, Anambra State; and Madarasatul Hidayatul Aulad Islamiyya, Gaya, Kano State.
The Rivers State Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the management of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.
Commending the officers and men of the Drug Demand Reduction, Operational and Intelligence units, as well as the AIIA, Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Abia, Seme and Tincan Commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
Marwa charged NDLEA officers and their colleagues across the country to maintain the momentum in the fight against illicit drugs while combining enforcement operations with drug abuse prevention, sensitisation and rehabilitation efforts.
