NDLEA Arrests Brazil-Based Businessman Over Alleged Importation Of Cocaine Hidden In Clothing (PHOTOS).

 

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 41-year-old businessman based in São Paulo, Brazil, identified as Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu, for allegedly importing shirts and towels impregnated with 6.10 kilograms of liquid cocaine into Nigeria.

According to the agency, Ikechukwu was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, after arriving from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

A detailed search of his luggage reportedly led to the discovery of 14 shirts and towels that had been soaked in liquid cocaine, dried, and carefully ironed in an attempt to evade detection by security operatives.

During interrogation, the suspect claimed he had lived in Brazil for more than 14 years, where he operates an African restaurant. He told investigators that he travelled to Nigeria to visit his wife and purchase food items in bulk for his business in Brazil.

In a separate development, the NDLEA also arrested two persons living with disabilities over their alleged involvement in illicit drug trafficking in Abia and Rivers states.

One of the suspects, 60-year-old Chidimma Sunday, was reportedly apprehended by members of the Umuosu Vigilante Group in Umuna Autonomous Community, Isialangwa North Local Government Area of Abia State. She was allegedly found in possession of 1.8 kilograms of skunk before being handed over to NDLEA officials on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

 Similarly, 28-year-old Abubakar Usman was arrested during a raid by NDLEA operatives at Rumuokoro in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

Authorities said substances recovered from Usman included 400 grams of skunk, 5 grams of methamphetamine, 100 grams of tramadol, 5 grams of swinol, and 18 grams of diazepam.

The arrests are part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and the distribution of illicit substances across the country.