NDLEA arrests Italy-bound businessman who excreted 98 cocaine wraps at Enugu airport
By Aboki Forex —
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, over cocaine trafficking. He excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilograms after being placed under observation.
Cyril was arrested on August 2 at the departure hall of the Enugu airport during outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930. He had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13.
How the drug was ingested
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that Cyril allegedly swallowed the cocaine in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight 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.
Cyril told investigators he had been doing business in Italy for years before agreeing to traffic the cocaine for 3,500 euros. He reportedly said the money was to help him relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
Other interceptions across Nigeria
The NDLEA also foiled attempts to export 1.2 kilograms of cocaine hidden in phone chargers to Saudi Arabia and 500 grams of cocaine hidden in a backpack bound for Italy through Lagos logistics companies. Officers intercepted 2.3 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, shipped from the United States.
Major cannabis seizures included 1,633 kilograms of skunk concealed in rice chaff on the Akure-Ilesha Expressway, 731.03 kilograms from a warehouse in Oyo State, 604.5 kilograms in Edo State, and 88.5 kilograms from a wanted drug dealer arrested in Badagry, Lagos after a three-month manhunt.
At Tincan Port in Lagos, officers working with Customs and other security agencies discovered 309.4 kilograms of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies inside a 40-foot container.
Airport drug arrests rising
The Enugu arrest adds to growing airport drug interceptions. In July, NDLEA arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for allegedly smuggling 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria with her three-year-old son.
Earlier that month, a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after officers found 13 kilograms of cocaine in packages disguised as plantains in her luggage. She was preparing to board a flight to London.
In January, a 30-year-old Brazilian woman was arrested at 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.