NDLEA Arrests Convicted Trafficker Posing as Tea Seller

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly disguised himself as a herbal tea seller while masterminding illicit drug shipments, including a 1.2-kilogram cocaine consignment destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was apprehended in a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, in the Ojo area of Lagos on Friday, September 4, 2026. The arrest followed intelligence-led operations after the cocaine shipment was intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on July 31, 2026. According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, operatives traced the consignment to Ebubechukwu after weeks of intelligence gathering. The suspect allegedly admitted to being the mastermind of some illicit drug shipments in the past and said he discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that his latest consignment had been intercepted. A search of his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, led to the recovery of phone chargers similar to those used to conceal the intercepted cocaine, with their internal components removed to create space for drugs.