A convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly returned to the illicit drug trade after changing his identity has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos following the interception of 1.2kg of cocaine concealed in phone chargers and bound for Saudi Arabia.
The suspect, 34-year-old Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested in a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, Ojo, Lagos, on Friday, September 4, after an intelligence-led investigation traced him to the cocaine shipment.
The consignment, intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31, was destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
NDLEA said Ebubechukwu allegedly admitted being the mastermind behind some illicit drug shipments, adding that he discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.
According to the agency, the suspect had first run into trouble with the law in 2011, when he was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after allegedly ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.
NDLEA said he later changed his name from Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and allegedly returned to drug trafficking, this time operating under the cover of a herbal tea business.
A search of his Ejigbo residence yielded phone chargers similar to those used to conceal the intercepted cocaine. The internal components had reportedly been removed to create space for drugs.
The arrest formed part of a nationwide NDLEA crackdown that produced massive seizures of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine, cocaine and other controlled substances across several states.
At the Lagos airport, operatives seized 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at more than N1.1 billion, concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton shipment from Pakistan.
They also recovered 57.8kg of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain worth more than N173 million, hidden inside cartons of disposable hand gloves from Singapore.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker allegedly fitted with a secret compartment containing 2,145kg of cannabis.
The driver reportedly abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe-Akoko and escaped into the bush after allegedly refusing to stop when pursued by officers.
The agency also intercepted another 598.08kg of cannabis-laced cookies and gummies in a 40-foot container at Tin Can Port, Lagos.
In Adamawa, 864,000 opioid pills were recovered from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect, while another suspected methamphetamine supplier was arrested with 2kg of the substance.
Across Lagos, NDLEA said it recovered more than 2.3 tonnes of cannabis, cocaine, tramadol, codeine syrup and Rohypnol, while further seizures were recorded in Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved and warned traffickers that hiding behind legitimate businesses or adopting new identities would not shield them from detection.
He urged personnel to sustain the agency’s intelligence-driven operations, stressing that drug traffickers who attempt to reinvent themselves would continue to be tracked down.