A 34-year-old convicted cocaine trafficker who allegedly returned to the drug trade under a new identity and posed as a herbal tea businessman has been arrested in Lagos, Nigeria.
The suspect, identified as Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested during a sting operation at Article Market, opposite the Trade Fair Market in the Ojo area of Lagos, on Friday, September 4, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said.
His arrest followed the interception of 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside phone chargers at a courier company in Lagos on July 31. The consignment was allegedly destined for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to the NDLEA, operatives of its Directorate of Operations and General Investigation traced the alleged mastermind through an intelligence-led investigation.
The agency said Ebubechukwu admitted during questioning that he had masterminded previous illicit drug shipments and discarded his telephone SIM card after learning that the latest consignment had been intercepted.
Investigators also uncovered evidence allegedly linking him to the method used to conceal the cocaine. A search of his residence in Ejigbo, Lagos, produced phone chargers similar to those used in the intercepted shipment. The internal components of the chargers had reportedly been removed to create spaces for concealing drugs.
The latest arrest also brought to light the suspect’s previous conviction for drug trafficking.
The NDLEA said he was first arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos after allegedly ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin while attempting to travel to Austria.
He was prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
The agency said that after serving his sentence, he changed his name from Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu and allegedly returned to the illicit drug trade.
His latest arrest formed part of a wider NDLEA crackdown across nine states, during which the agency reported recovering large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine, cocaine and other illicit substances.
The NDLEA said the operations covered Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu states.
