February 01, (THEWILL) — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos for attempting to smuggle cocaine by concealing it in his private part and footwear.
The agency stated on Sunday, February 1, 2026, that the 47-year-old was arrested on Thursday, January 29, during the inward clearance of passengers on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg.
A body scan confirmed the presence of concealed drugs, leading to a strip search.
“Onyekwere was arrested on Thursday, 29th January 2026 during the inward clearance of South African Airways flight passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg, following processed intelligence,” the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement.
During the search, officers discovered a large parcel of cocaine wrapped around the suspect’s right thigh and two additional wraps hidden in the soles of his shoes, totaling 1.60 kilograms.
Under interrogation, Onyekwere, who has lived in São Paulo since 2008, disclosed that he intended to sell the drugs to raise capital for his toy business and to finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child.
In another major operation at the Tincan Seaport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 55 jumbo bags of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilograms.
The drugs, imported from Montreal, Canada, were found hidden inside a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix during a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service on January 28.
Nationwide raids also yielded significant results. In Niger State, three suspects were arrested on January 26 with 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms.
In Edo State, officers destroyed a cannabis farm spanning 1.6 hectares and recovered 4,063 kilograms of skunk.
Other seizures included 345 kilograms of skunk hidden in a cement truck in Anambra, 473 kilograms in Ondo, and 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection in Kano.
“The results we achieved last year were significant, but we cannot afford to rest on our oars,” NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated while commending the officers.
He urged them to maintain the agency’s “balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.”
The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns in schools and worship centers across several states, including Yobe, Abia, and Lagos, to educate the public on the dangers of substance abuse.
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