Italy-based businessman arrested for cocaine trafficking

Joseph Cyril, a 30-year-old businessman based in Italy, was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) in Enugu on August 2, 2026. He was caught ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine while preparing to travel to Italy via Addis Ababa and France.

Cyril had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13, 2026, and ingested the drugs at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before heading to Enugu for his flight on August 2. After his arrest during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilograms.

In his statement, Cyril claimed he had been conducting business in Italy for years and agreed to traffic the drugs for a fee of 3,500 Euros to raise money for relocating to Germany, where his family resides.