NDLEA Arrests Herbal Tea Merchant Behind Saudi-Bound Cocaine Shipment

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 34-year-old man accused of masterminding a cocaine shipment from Lagos to Saudi Arabia. The suspect, identified as Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested on September 4, 2026, during an intelligence-led operation at Article Market in the Ojo area of Lagos.

According to the NDLEA, the arrest followed the interception of a cocaine consignment destined for Riyadh at a courier company in Lagos on July 31. Investigators subsequently traced the alleged shipment to Ebubechukwu, who was reportedly operating as a herbal tea merchant when he was arrested.

The agency said the suspect had previously been convicted in a drug-trafficking case. NDLEA records indicate that he was arrested in Lagos in 2011, subsequently convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. Authorities now allege that he later changed his identity and returned to illicit drug trafficking.

Following his arrest, NDLEA operatives searched his residence in the Ejigbo area of Lagos and recovered items that investigators said were similar to those allegedly associated with the intercepted shipment. The agency said the investigation is continuing as officers work to establish whether other people were involved in the suspected trafficking network.

The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended the officers involved in the operation and warned that suspected traffickers would continue to face enforcement action even when they attempt to operate under legitimate business fronts. The suspect remains entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence in relation to the new allegations unless proven guilty by a court.