NDLEA Arrests Cocaine Mastermind, Seizes Opioid Pills

On September 4, 2026, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, a 34-year-old suspected mastermind behind cocaine shipments to Saudi Arabia, during a sting operation in Lagos. This arrest followed the interception of a 1.2kg cocaine consignment concealed in phone chargers at a courier company on July 31, 2026.

Ebubechukwu, who had previously been convicted for drug trafficking in 2011, admitted to masterminding illicit drug shipments and discarded his SIM card upon learning of the interception. A search of his residence on the same day led to the recovery of similar phone chargers used for concealing drugs.

Additionally, NDLEA operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at over ₦1.1 billion, hidden among thrift trousers in a shipment from Pakistan. In a separate operation, 57.80kg of Loud cannabis was recovered from a shipment originating from Singapore.