Brazil returnee arrested with cocaine concealed on body

A Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. He was apprehended for concealing parcels of cocaine on his thigh and in the soles of his footwear. Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA […]

A Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. He was apprehended for concealing parcels of cocaine on his thigh and in the soles of his footwear.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA spokesperson, stated on Sunday that Onyekwere was arrested last Thursday during the inward clearance of passengers on a South African Airways flight arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg, following processed intelligence.

Babafemi said that when the 47-year-old suspect was subjected to a full-body scan, the result confirmed the concealment of illicit drugs. Consequently, he was subjected to a strip search, during which a large parcel of white powdery substance—which later tested positive for cocaine—was discovered wrapped around his right thigh.

The NDLEA spokesperson added that a further search revealed two additional wraps of the same substance concealed in the soles of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect. In total, three large wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.60 kilograms were recovered from his body and footwear.

During a preliminary interview, Onyekwere reportedly revealed that he purchased the illicit consignment in Brazil with the intention of reselling it in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and to finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child.

The suspect, who lives in Rua Éver, Marulinha, São Paulo, claimed to have lived in Brazil since 2008 and has operated a toy business for approximately nine years.

In another incident at the Tincan seaport in Lagos, the Agency discovered 55 jumbo bags of “Canadian Loud”—a strong strain of cannabis—with a gross weight of 1,183 kilograms.

The shipment, imported from Montreal, Canada, was uncovered last Wednesday during a joint examination of a container by NDLEA officers, Customs, and other security agencies. The illicit consignments were hidden inside a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix.

In Niger State, acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives intercepted a long truck marked T 31589 LA along the Dei-Dei-Abuja expressway in the early hours of last Tuesday.

Three suspects—Andy Chidogu (49), Kenneth Ogene (45), and Sadiq Olanrewaju (27)—were arrested for conveying 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms and 1 kilogram of “Colorado” (synthetic cannabis) concealed in the truck.

The Agency said investigations revealed that the driver, Kenneth Ogene, left Lagos on January 23 with a load of 800 bags of flour destined for Ekpoma, Edo State. Upon arrival on January 24, he allegedly negotiated to transport the cannabis for N1.7 million.

In a separate interdiction in Edo State on Tuesday, January 27, NDLEA operatives arrested one Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi-Abuja expressway while he was seeking a vehicle to convey 66 bags of skunk (792kg) concealed in bags of charcoal to Katsina.

Additionally, on Wednesday, January 28, Edo operatives supported by Nigerian Army personnel raided a cannabis farm at Ebora camp, Ilushi, in Esan South East LGA. They destroyed 4,063.675kg of skunk across 1.6 hectares of farmland and recovered 328kg of processed cannabis and seeds.

According to the Agency, four suspects—Jeremiah Nwodeh (46), Chukwudi Pius (33), Pius Ogaba (46), and Onora Kwene (35)—were arrested at the camp.