NDLEA arrests businessman for cocaine smuggling at Lagos airport
A Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for allegedly concealing cocaine in his body and footwear. The arrest took place during the inward clearance of passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg. NDLEA operatives also made several other drug-related arrests and seizures across multiple states. The agency recovered various illicit substances, including cocaine, cannabis, and tramadol, in coordinated operations.
What happened
- Uche Franklin Onyekwere was arrested on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at Lagos airport with cocaine hidden on his body and in his shoes.
- A body scan and strip search revealed three wraps of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilograms.
- NDLEA intercepted 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud cannabis weighing 1,183 kilograms at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, on Wednesday, 28th January.
- In Niger State, three suspects were arrested on Tuesday, 26th January, with 176 bags of skunk and 1 kilogram of synthetic cannabis.
- Multiple other arrests and seizures occurred in Edo, Anambra, Ondo, Kano, and Lagos between 23rd January and 30th January, involving large quantities of drugs and several suspects.
