The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old man, Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, who allegedly disguised himself as a herbal tea businessman while masterminding cocaine shipments to Saudi Arabia.
Ebubechukwu was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 2026.
His arrest followed the interception of a 1.2kg consignment of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers at a courier company in Lagos on July 31. The consignment was allegedly destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, intelligence-led investigations by operatives of the agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) eventually led investigators to Ebubechukwu.
The agency said the suspect allegedly admitted masterminding previous illicit drug shipments and discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest cocaine consignment had been intercepted.
NDLEA further revealed that Ebubechukwu had previously been arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to travel to Austria after ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin.
He was prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
The agency said he later changed his name from Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and allegedly returned to the drug trade under the cover of a herbal tea business.
A search of his residence at Ejigbo, Lagos, reportedly led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those used to conceal the intercepted cocaine. The internal components of the chargers had allegedly been removed to create space for drugs.
The arrest formed part of a wider NDLEA crackdown across nine states, which also resulted in the seizure of large quantities of tramadol, cannabis, methamphetamine and other controlled substances.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the agency’s operatives and warned drug traffickers against attempting to evade law enforcement by changing identities or disguising illicit activities as legitimate businesses.
