NDLEA Arrests 62-Year-Old Trader for Swallowing 95 Wraps of Cocaine in Lagos

Nwabuez Nicholas Izuek, a 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman, was apprehended by the NDLEA at Aminu Kano International Airport on January 31, 2026, while attempting to smuggle 95 wraps of cocaine to China. Izuek had ingested the narcotics and was intercepted during outward clearance for a passenger bound for China via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

The NDLEA conducted a body scan, revealing the presence of foreign objects in his body. Izuek expelled a total of 95 jumbo-size wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.589 kilograms.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the cocaine was concealed internally to evade airport security screening. Izuek confessed to being involved in the cloth and auto spare part trade in Lagos but turned to drug trafficking in a desperate attempt to raise funds to complete a house construction project in his hometown of Iwollo, Enugu State.

The suspect remains in custody and will face charges in court upon the conclusion of the investigation.