Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly disguised himself as a herbal tea businessman while masterminding illicit drug shipments to Saudi Arabia.

The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 2026.

According to NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the arrest followed the interception of 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers at a courier company in Lagos on July 31. The consignment was allegedly destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Babafemi said operatives of the agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation subsequently launched an intelligence-led operation to identify and track the alleged mastermind behind the shipment.

The suspect was eventually tracked to Article Market, where he was arrested while allegedly posing as a herbal tea businessman.

The NDLEA said Ebubechukwu admitted during questioning that he had masterminded some illicit drug shipments in the past. He also reportedly told investigators that he discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest cocaine consignment had been intercepted.

A search of his residence at Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, also reportedly produced phone chargers similar to those allegedly used to conceal the intercepted cocaine. The chargers had their internal components removed, creating space where drugs could be hidden, according to the agency.

Further investigation, the NDLEA said, revealed that the suspect had previously been arrested by the agency in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

At the time, he was allegedly found to have ingested 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.

The agency said he was prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison under the name Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch.

After serving his sentence, the NDLEA alleged that he changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and subsequently returned to drug trafficking.

The arrest was announced as part of a wider NDLEA crackdown on drug trafficking across nine states — Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu.

During the coordinated operations, the agency also intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker in Ondo State that had allegedly been fitted with a concealed compartment for transporting illicit drugs.

The tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, was intercepted along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway after its driver allegedly refused to stop. The driver later abandoned the vehicle at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the bush, according to the NDLEA.

A search of the tanker reportedly uncovered 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145 kilogrammes, concealed alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.

The agency also reported major seizures of tramadol, methamphetamine, cannabis and other controlled substances during the operations in different parts of the country.

In Adamawa State, for instance, NDLEA operatives reportedly recovered hundreds of thousands of opioid tablets and arrested a suspected methamphetamine supplier, while further drug seizures were recorded in other states involved in the coordinated operations.

The NDLEA said the latest operations demonstrate its continued efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and prevent traffickers from using legitimate businesses and sophisticated concealment methods to move illicit substances.

Ebubechukwu remains in the custody of the agency as investigations continue. The allegations against him remain subject to due legal process.