A 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, for ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine.
Cyril was arrested on Sunday, August 2, 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers boarding Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930, en route to Italy through Addis Ababa and France.
The arrest was among the arrests and drug seizures recorded by the NDLEA during the first week of August.
Following his arrest at the airport’s departure hall, Cyril was placed under excretion observation. He subsequently expelled 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilogrammes.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Cyril had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13, 2026.
He ingested the drug at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight back to Europe.
In his statement, the suspect said he had been doing business in Italy for several years before agreeing to traffic the consignment for €3,500. He added that he intended to use the money to finance his relocation to Germany, where his family is based.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway intercepted a truck conveying 1,633 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in bags of rice shafts.
The truck was intercepted on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, while two suspects identified as 40-year-old Buba Jamilu and 30-year-old Sanusi Ibrahim, who were transporting the consignment, were arrested.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives recovered 147 kilogrammes of skunk from the Ita Ogbolu forest during a raid conducted on Monday, August 3.
The agency said the arrests and seizures formed part of its ongoing efforts to disrupt the trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs across the country.
