Italy-Based Businessman Excretes 98 Cocaine Wraps at Enugu Airport
A 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilogrammes at Enugu.
Cyril was arrested at the departure hall of Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, on Sunday, 2 August 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled all 98 wraps of cocaine.
Investigations revealed that Cyril had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on 13 July and allegedly ingested the cocaine at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to catch his flight to Europe.
In his statement, the suspect reportedly said he had been doing business in Italy for several years before agreeing to traffic the cocaine for €3,500.
He allegedly told investigators that he intended to use the money to facilitate his relocation to Germany, where his family is based.
The arrest was among several major drug seizures and arrests recorded by the NDLEA across the country in the past week, including interceptions of cocaine concealed in phone chargers and a backpack destined for Saudi Arabia and Italy respectively.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives at a courier company thwarted an attempt to export 1.2kg of cocaine to Saudi Arabia concealed inside 25 phone chargers.
A separate operation at another logistics company on Monday, 3 August, led to the interception of 500 grammes of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of a backpack and allegedly destined for Italy.
The agency also intercepted 2.3kg of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, in a shipment arriving from the United States through another shipping company in Lagos on Tuesday, 4 August.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway on Tuesday intercepted a truck allegedly conveying 1,633kg of skunk, a locally cultivated strain of cannabis, concealed in bags of rice shafts.
Two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, were arrested in connection with the consignment.
The agency also recovered 147kg of skunk from Ita Ogbolu forest during a raid conducted on Monday, 3 August.
In Oyo State, operatives acting on intelligence raided a drug warehouse at Elebure village in Orire Local Government Area on Monday. The operation resulted in the recovery of 731.03kg of cannabis and the arrest of 57-year-old Felicia Thompson.
The NDLEA said Thompson’s alleged partner, Thompson Vincent Nwaka, remains at large.
A further operation in Edo State on Wednesday, 5 August, saw NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, recover 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5kg at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area.
In Abia State, a 31-year-old suspected drug joint operator, Chibuike Charles, was arrested during a raid at his Samec by Powerline base in Osisioma Local Government Area on Thursday, 6 August. Officers recovered 7kg of skunk during the operation.
In Lagos, a suspected drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, was arrested on Saturday, 8 August, at the Fibre Market drug jungle in Badagry following a three-month manhunt. NDLEA said 88.5kg of skunk was recovered from him at the point of arrest.
At the TinCan Island Port Complex in Lagos, NDLEA officers, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, discovered a large consignment of cannabis-infused food products during the joint examination of a 40-foot container on Tuesday, 4 August.
The agency said 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies, with a combined weight of 309.4kg, were recovered.
A suspect identified as Larry Nnaji has been arrested in connection with the seizure.
The latest operations highlight the NDLEA’s continuing efforts to disrupt both domestic distribution networks and international trafficking routes, particularly through airports, courier companies, ports and major highways.
Meanwhile, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across the country, taking drug prevention messages to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Recent activities included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of Islamic High School, Saki, Oyo State; Holy Ghost Academy, Nkpor, Anambra State; and Madarasatul Hidayatul Aulad Islamiyya, Gaya, Kano State.
The Rivers State Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the management of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in Port Harcourt.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel of the Drug and Financial Investigation Directorate (DOGI), AIIA, Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Abia, Seme and TinCan Commands to sustain the agency’s “balanced approach” to drug control.
The NDLEA said the approach combines enforcement operations with prevention, public education and community-based sensitisation to tackle the country’s drug abuse and trafficking challenges.
