A 1.2-kilogramme cocaine consignment concealed inside phone chargers and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has led the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to a convicted trafficker in Lagos.
The 34-year-old suspect, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos State, on Friday, September 4, 2026.
The arrest followed the interception of the cocaine consignment at a courier company in Lagos on July 31 by operatives of the NDLEA Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
Following the seizure, operatives launched a painstaking intelligence-led investigation that traced the consignment to Ebubechukwu, who allegedly disguised himself as a herbal tea businessman.
In his statement, the suspect reportedly admitted masterminding some illicit drug shipments in the past. He also disclosed that he discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest cocaine consignment had been intercepted by the Agency.
Further investigation revealed that Ebubechukwu had previously been arrested by the NDLEA in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
He was arrested after ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria under the name Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch.
He was subsequently prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
The NDLEA said the suspect later changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu after serving his sentence and allegedly returned to drug trafficking.
A search of his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, on September 4 led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those used to conceal the intercepted cocaine.
The Agency said the internal components of the chargers had been removed to create space for the drugs.
The arrest formed part of a wider nationwide crackdown by NDLEA operatives, which also resulted in the interception of a 20,000-litre fuel tanker fitted with a concealed compartment suspected to have been designed for illicit drug trafficking.
Other consignments of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine and various psychotropic substances were also recovered during operations in Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu states.
The NDLEA said the operations reflect its continued intelligence-driven efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and disrupt the movement of illicit substances within and outside Nigeria.