Brazil Returnees Excrete 116 Wraps of Narcotics, Businesswoman Nabbed with Meth in Underwear
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded another major breakthrough in its fight against drug trafficking, arresting several suspects at different locations across the country, including two Brazil returnees who excreted a combined total of 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The agency disclosed that 46-year-old Ofoma Sunday was arrested on 16th September 2025 upon arrival at Terminal 2 of Lagos airport from Laos, Brazil, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
A body scan confirmed drug ingestion, leading to his transfer into NDLEA’s observatory custody. After eight sessions, Ofoma excreted 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.452 kilograms.
A follow-up sting operation at Eliata Hotel in Amuwo Odofin resulted in the arrest of 55-year-old Nweke Jude Chuckwudi, who was waiting to collect the excreted narcotics. Investigators revealed that Ofoma had been promised a $2,500 reward for successfully delivering the consignment.
Similarly, another returnee, Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, was intercepted on 19th September during inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Brazil via Addis Ababa. A scan revealed illicit drug insertion, and he later excreted five large wraps of cocaine weighing 145 grams.
Ikechukwu confessed he had purchased nine wraps in Brazil, but severe anal pain during transit compelled him to eject some. By the time he landed in Lagos, only five remained in his body. He further disclosed a history of deportation from the United States for immigration offences before relocating to Brazil earlier this year.
In a separate incident, a businesswoman, Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa, was arrested on 14th September at the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. Aviation security officers discovered 1.40 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in her butt pad underwear.
The suspect, who claimed to be a dealer in used clothing and a POS operator in Enugu, admitted to being recruited into drug trafficking.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted other international shipments. On 15th September, a 2.30-kilogram meth consignment disguised in food items was stopped at the NAHCO export shed en route to Hong Kong.
The suspect, 59-year-old Umelo Ifeanyi Venatus, was immediately taken into custody. On 18th September, seven phone chargers containing 257 grams of cocaine were discovered in a courier package heading to New Zealand.
Beyond Lagos, nationwide raids yielded more seizures. In Adamawa State, 233,800 tramadol pills were confiscated in three separate raids, including 195,600 pills abandoned in a Toyota Sienna, and additional arrests in Jambutu and Namtari.
In Zamfara State, NDLEA operatives supported by community guards seized 1,099.4 kilograms of cannabis skunk from a Mitsubishi truck on the Gummi-Daki Takwas road. Similarly, in Taraba, a suspect was arrested with 25.5kg of cannabis, while in Yobe, two traffickers were caught with 14,000 tramadol capsules.
In Edo State, NDLEA destroyed two cannabis farms spanning 4.5 hectares in Atororo forest, Owan West LGA, with an estimated yield of over 11 tonnes. Three suspects were arrested on site.
Meanwhile, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools, worship centres, and workplaces nationwide, with advocacy visits and lectures in Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Benue, Kano, and Enugu.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers for their diligence.
“These arrests and seizures represent a significant milestone in our determined effort to dismantle drug trafficking organisations operating in Nigeria and around the world, prioritising those bent on targeting our productive youth population with illicit substances until they are no longer able to inflict harm on our communities or misrepresent our country’s image in the global space,” he said.
Marwa urged NDLEA operatives to sustain their balanced approach in tackling drug supply and demand across Nigeria.
