Follow Us on Google Discover
A 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, excreted 98 wraps of cocaine after he was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, while attempting to travel to Italy.
The agency disclosed the arrest in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, detailing a series of anti-drug operations carried out across the country over the past week.
The Enugu airport arrest was one of several drug trafficking cases uncovered by the agency between August 2 and August 8, including cocaine concealment attempts at Lagos courier firms, large cannabis seizures in Ondo, Oyo, Edo and Lagos states, and an interception of cannabis-infused products at the Tincan Port in Lagos.
What they are saying
NDLEA said Cyril was arrested at the departure hall of the Enugu airport on August 2 during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930.
Also Read
The agency said he was placed under excretion observation after his arrest, during which he excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilograms.
Investigators found that the suspect had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and allegedly swallowed the cocaine in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board a flight back to Europe.
- “Investigations revealed that Cyril had arrived Nigeria from Italy on 13th July 2026 and ingested the drug in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State before proceeding to Enugu to board his flight to Europe on Sunday 2nd August,” the agency said.
According to NDLEA, the suspect told investigators that he had been doing business in Italy for years before agreeing to traffic the cocaine for a payment of 3,500 euros.
He reportedly said the money was intended to help him relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
Other drug trafficking cases uncovered
The agency said its operatives also foiled attempts to export 1.2 kilograms of cocaine concealed in phone chargers to Saudi Arabia and 500 grams of cocaine hidden in a backpack bound for Italy through Lagos logistics companies.
In another operation, officers intercepted 2.3 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, shipped from the United States.
- NDLEA also reported major cannabis seizures across several states, including 1,633 kilograms of skunk concealed in rice chaff on the Akure-Ilesha Expressway, 731.03 kilograms recovered from a warehouse in Oyo State, 604.5 kilograms seized in Edo State, and 88.5 kilograms recovered from a wanted drug dealer arrested in Badagry, Lagos after a three-month manhunt.
At the Tincan Port in Lagos, the agency said officers, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, discovered 309.4 kilograms of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies inside a 40-foot container.
What you should know
The Enugu arrest adds to a growing number of airport drug interceptions involving passengers attempting to move narcotics across Nigeria’s borders.
- In July, NDLEA arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria while travelling with her three-year-old son.
Earlier the same month, a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after officers allegedly discovered 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in packages disguised as plantains in her luggage while she was preparing to board a flight to London.
- In January, the agency also arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian woman at the Abuja airport over an alleged attempt to smuggle heroin worth more than N3 billion into Nigeria.
The NDLEA has continued to intensify airport surveillance and cargo inspections as part of its broader campaign against international drug trafficking and domestic narcotics distribution.
