A 34-year-old convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly disguised himself as a herbal tea businessman has been arrested in Lagos for masterminding cocaine shipments to Saudi Arabia, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA said on Sunday.
The suspect, identified as Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos, following an intelligence-led investigation into a 1.2kg cocaine shipment intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31.
The cocaine, concealed inside phone chargers, was destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) launched a painstaking investigation after the seizure, which eventually led to the arrest of the alleged mastermind.
“Following the interception of a 1.2kg cocaine consignment concealed in phone chargers and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at a courier company in Lagos on 31st July 2026, operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation in NDLEA have successfully tracked the mastermind through painstaking intelligence-led operations,” Babafemi said.
He stated that Ebubechukwu was arrested on Friday, September 4, while posing as a herbal tea businessman.
According to Babafemi, the suspect admitted in his statement that he had masterminded some illicit drug shipments in the past.
He added that the suspect discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest cocaine consignment had been intercepted by NDLEA operatives.
Babafemi explained that further investigation revealed that Ebubechukwu was not new to the Agency, having first been arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
He said the suspect was arrested at the airport after ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin in an attempt to travel to Austria.
“He was prosecuted for the crime, convicted and sentenced to five years in jail. He thereafter changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and returned to the criminal trade,” Babafemi stated.
He further disclosed that a search of the suspect’s residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, on Friday led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those allegedly used to conceal the intercepted cocaine.
Babafemi said the internal components of the chargers had been removed to create space for the concealment of drugs.
