The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly disguised himself as an herbal tea businessman and intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker fitted with a concealed compartment containing over two tonnes of cannabis.
A statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Dunu Ebubechukwu, was arrested in a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, Ojo, Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 2026.
According to the NDLEA, Ebubechukwu was tracked following the interception of 1.2kg of cocaine concealed in phone chargers and destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at a courier company in Lagos on July 31.
The agency said the suspect admitted to masterminding some illicit drug shipments in the past and discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.
The statement partly read, “The suspect, arrested in a sting operation at Article Market, opposite Trade Fair Market, Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 2026, while posing as an herbal tea businessman, was identified as 34-year-old Dunu Ebubechukwu.
“In his statement, he admitted being the mastermind of some illicit drug shipments in the past while stating that he discarded his telephone SIM card once he learnt his latest consignment had been intercepted by the NDLEA. Further investigation revealed the suspect is no stranger to the Agency: he was first arrested in 2011 at the MMIA Ikeja, Lagos, after ingesting ingesting 900grams of cocaine and 130grams of heroin in an attempt to fly to Austria under the name Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch.
“A search of his residence in Ejigbo, Lagos, also 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.”
Babafemi disclosed that Ebubechukwu was prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, but later changed his name from Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu before returning to the illicit drug trade.
“He was prosecuted for the crime, convicted and sentenced to five years in jail. He thereafter changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and returned to the criminal trade.
“A search of his residence located at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, on Friday, September 4, 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,” he said.
