The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 47-year-old Nigerian businessman based in Brazil, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria by concealing the drug in his body and footwear.
Onyekwere was apprehended on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while arriving on a South African Airways flight from Brazil, following intelligence-led profiling and surveillance.
According to the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a full-body scan triggered suspicion, leading to a strip search that uncovered a large parcel of cocaine strapped to the suspect’s right thigh. Further checks revealed two additional wraps of cocaine hidden in the soles of his shoes.
Babafemi said the total weight of the seized cocaine was 1.60 kilograms.
During preliminary interrogation, the suspect reportedly admitted purchasing the drug in Brazil with the intention of selling it in Nigeria. He told investigators the proceeds were meant to support his business and fund the naming ceremony of his newborn child. The suspect disclosed that he had lived in Brazil since 2008, where he ran a toy business for several years.
In related operations, NDLEA operatives on January 28 intercepted a shipment at Tincan Seaport, Lagos, containing 55 jumbo bags of “Canadian Loud”, a high-grade strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilograms. The illicit drugs were concealed inside two imported vehicles—a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix—shipped from Montreal, Canada, the agency said.
Similarly, on January 26, NDLEA officers in Niger State arrested **three suspects—Andy Chidogu, Kenneth Ogene, and Sadiq Olanrewaju—**who were transporting 176 bags of skunk, weighing 2,735 kilograms, along with one kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis substance.
In another operation on January 27, NDLEA operatives in Edo State arrested Shaibu Yusuf, who was caught moving 66 bags of skunk concealed in sacks of charcoal. A follow-up raid on a cannabis farm in the area led to the destruction of 4,063.675 kilograms of skunk, according to the agency.
The NDLEA said additional seizures were recorded across several states as part of its sustained nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking, alongside intensified drug demand-reduction campaigns in schools and communities.
Commending the operatives, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd.), praised their professionalism and vigilance, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to disrupting drug supply chains and reducing drug abuse nationwide.
The guardian
