NDLEA Nabs 62-Year-Old Businessman at Kano Airport for Ingesting 95 Cocaine Pellets
NDLEA Nabs 62-Year-Old Businessman at Kano Airport for Ingesting 95 Cocaine Pellets
By šøbdulrazak Tomiwa
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 62-year-old businessman, Nwabueze Izueke, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.Ā
The Lagos-based suspect was apprehended on Saturday, January 31, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to China via Addis Ababa.
During the outward clearance of passengers, Izueke was subjected to a body scan which revealed he had ingested illicit substances.
While under observation, he eventually excreted 95 jumbo-sized pellets of cocaine, with the total weight of the recovered drugs confirmed to be 1.589 kilograms.
The suspect, who claimed to deal in clothing and auto spare parts in Lagos, confessed to the crime during interrogation.
He revealed that he took the risk of trafficking the Class A drugs to secure the funds needed to finish a construction project in his hometown.
According to the NDLEA statement, āIn his statement, he claimed he decided to engage in illicit drug trafficking to raise enough money to complete the country home he’s building in his village, Iwollo, Enugu state.ā
The arrest was part of a broader week-long operation by the agency that resulted in major seizures across Nigeria.
In Abuja, officials recovered 627.7kg of cannabis from a warehouse, while others were caught smuggling methamphetamine hidden inside MP3 speakers and yogurt packs.
Other successful raids took place in Oyo, Taraba, and Imo states, targeting local production facilities and distribution networks.
These operations led to the arrest of multiple suspects, including a couple in Imo State found with over 200kg of cannabis.
