NDLEA arrests herbal tea seller behind Saudi-bound cocaine shipment

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old convicted drug trafficker who allegedly operated under the guise of a herbal tea businessman while masterminding illicit drug shipments, including a 1.2kg cocaine consignment allegedly destined for Saudi Arabia.

The suspect, identified as Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos State, on Friday, September 4, 2026.

According to the NDLEA, his arrest followed an intelligence-led investigation into the interception of a 1.2kg cocaine shipment concealed inside phone chargers at a courier company in Lagos on July 31.

The consignment was allegedly headed for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The agency said operatives from its Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) began tracking the person behind the shipment after the cocaine was intercepted.

Following weeks of investigation, the operatives traced the alleged mastermind to Ebubechukwu, who was reportedly operating a herbal tea business as a cover.

The NDLEA said the suspect admitted during interrogation that he had masterminded illicit drug shipments in the past.

He also reportedly discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the cocaine shipment had been intercepted by the agency.

Further investigation, according to the anti-drug agency, revealed that Ebubechukwu had previously been arrested and convicted for drug trafficking.

The NDLEA said he was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after allegedly ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.

He was subsequently prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.

The agency said he was then known as Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch but later changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu before allegedly returning to the illicit drug trade.

Following his latest arrest, NDLEA operatives searched his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos.

The search reportedly led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those allegedly used to conceal the Saudi-bound cocaine shipment.

According to the agency, the internal components of the chargers had been removed to create spaces capable of concealing drugs.

The NDLEA said the arrest was part of a wider nationwide operation during which its operatives recovered large quantities of cocaine, cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine and other controlled substances across several states.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives at the airport recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at more than N1.1 billion.

The tablets were reportedly concealed among thrift trousers contained in a 21-carton consignment imported from Pakistan.

Another operation in Lagos resulted in the recovery of 57.8kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from cartons of disposable hand gloves imported from Singapore.

The agency said the consignment had remained unclaimed for weeks before NDLEA operatives, alongside officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, conducted a joint examination on Thursday, September 3.

In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker marked MKA 960 XC along the Akoko-Lokoja Expressway.

The driver allegedly refused to stop when the vehicle was flagged down and later abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko before escaping into the bush.

A search of the tanker uncovered a concealed compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg, alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.

At the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, the agency intercepted another consignment containing 598.08kg of cannabis-laced cookies and gummies, packed in 890 packets inside a 40-foot container.

The seizure was linked to three suspects already in custody over an earlier seizure involving 842.54kg of cannabis-laced cookies.

The suspects were identified as Yashim Dauji, Larry Ifeanyi and Joseph Moji.

In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills, including tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect identified as Patrick KC Frank.

The agency said Frank’s Honda Civic rammed an NDLEA patrol vehicle before he escaped.

In another operation in Michika, 35-year-old Calistus Ebubechukwu, whom the NDLEA described as a major methamphetamine supplier operating between Lagos and the Mubi-Michika axis, was arrested with 2kg of methamphetamine.

The NDLEA said the series of operations reflected its continued efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks, intercept illicit consignments and apprehend individuals allegedly involved in the movement and distribution of controlled substances.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain their intelligence-led approach to combating drug trafficking.

Marwa also warned individuals involved in the illicit drug trade against attempting to evade law enforcement by changing their identities or hiding their activities behind legitimate businesses.

He said the agency would continue to track down suspected traffickers and disrupt their operations.

The arrest of Ebubechukwu also highlights the role of intelligence-led investigations in tracing suspected drug trafficking networks after illicit consignments have been intercepted.

In the present case, the 1.2kg cocaine shipment allegedly bound for Riyadh was intercepted weeks before the suspect was arrested, giving investigators time to trace the alleged source of the consignment.

The suspect remains in NDLEA custody as investigations continue into the alleged cocaine shipment and other drug trafficking activities linked to him.

NDLEA arrests herbal tea seller behind Saudi-bound cocaine shipment