NDLEA arrests Italy-based businessman at Enugu Airport for cocaine smuggling

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested 30-year-old Joseph Cyril at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. Cyril, an Italy-based businessman, allegedly ingested 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.51 kilograms while attempting to travel to Italy via Addis Ababa and France. Investigations suggest he arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and ingested the drugs in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State. Cyril reportedly agreed to the trafficking for €3,500 to fund his relocation to Germany.

In a series of concurrent nationwide operations, the NDLEA intercepted several other drug consignments. In Lagos, authorities thwarted an attempt to export 1.2 kilograms of cocaine concealed in 25 phone chargers destined for Saudi Arabia, as well as a 500-gram cocaine shipment hidden in a backpack destined for Italy. A 2.3kg shipment of synthetic cannabis, known as "Loud," arriving from the United States was also intercepted at a Lagos shipping company.

Further crackdowns included the interception of a truck on the Akure-Ilesha Expressway carrying 1,633kg of skunk concealed in rice shafts, resulting in the arrest of two suspects, Buba Jamilu and Sanusi Ibrahim. Additionally, NDLEA operatives recovered 147kg of skunk from the Ita Ogbolu forest and seized 731.03kg of cannabis during a raid on a warehouse in Elebure village, Oyo State.