NDLEA Arrests Brazil-based Businessman With Cocaine Starched In Shirts, Towels
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 6.10 kilograms of liquid cocaine into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The suspect, 41, was apprehended upon his arrival from São Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on June 11, 2026.
According to the NDLEA, a detailed search of his luggage uncovered 14 shirts and towels that had been soaked in liquid cocaine, dried and carefully ironed in an apparent attempt to evade detection by security operatives.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the anti-narcotics body said the illicit consignment was concealed within personal effects brought into the country from the South American nation.
During interrogation, Abugu reportedly told investigators that he had lived in Brazil for more than 14 years, where he operates an African restaurant.
“He claimed he came to Nigeria to visit his wife and purchase food items in bulk for his restaurant business in Brazil,” the statement said.
The arrest is the latest in a series of operations by the NDLEA targeting international drug trafficking networks using unconventional concealment methods to move narcotics across borders.
In a related development, the agency also announced the arrest of two suspected drug traffickers living with disabilities in separate operations conducted in Abia and Rivers states.
One of the suspects, 60-year-old Chidimma Sunday, was apprehended in Umuna Autonomous Community in Isialangwa North Local Government Area of Abia State after she was allegedly found in possession of 1.8 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
Babafemi disclosed that she was initially intercepted by members of the Umuosu Vigilante Group before being handed over to NDLEA officials on June 10 for further investigation.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested 28-year-old Abubakar Usman during a raid at Rumuokoro in Port Harcourt on June 9.
The agency said various illicit substances were recovered from the suspect, including 400 grams of skunk, five grams of methamphetamine, 100 grams of tramadol, five grams of swinol, and 18 grams of diazepam.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining nationwide operations against drug trafficking and abuse, warning that individuals involved in the illicit drug trade would continue to face the full weight of the law.
Babafemi said the agency remains vigilant in tracking drug trafficking syndicates and disrupting attempts to smuggle narcotics into or across Nigeria.