NDLEA Arrests Lagos Businessman with Cocaine Worth N3.6bn

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested 48-year-old Lagos-based businessman Nwankwo Innocent Onyebuchi at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) while he was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi, India. He was found with 1.550 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the walls and railings of his travelling bag.

Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy for NDLEA, reported that Onyebuchi had liquidated his marble business and other assets to raise N23 million to purchase the cocaine, which he expected to sell in India for approximately N100 million. His arrest halted this plan, and he remains in NDLEA custody pending prosecution.

The agency's operations also led to significant drug seizures across various states, including Lagos, where they recovered 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over N2.6 billion and 324 kilogrammes of Colorado cannabis worth an estimated N972 million.