NDLEA Arrests Herbal Tea Merchant for Cocaine Trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, a convicted cocaine trafficker, who allegedly returned to drug trafficking disguised as a herbal tea merchant. He was apprehended in a sting operation at Article Market in Ojo, Lagos, on September 4, 2026, following weeks of intelligence-led tracking.

Ebubechukwu was linked to a shipment of 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers, which was intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31, 2026, destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During interrogation, he admitted to previous drug shipments and discarded his SIM card upon learning of the interception.

He had previously been arrested in 2011 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport for attempting to travel to Austria with 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin, leading to a five-year conviction. A search of his residence in Ejigbo uncovered similar phone chargers used for concealing drugs.

NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.) commended the operation and warned traffickers against disguising illegal activities.