The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 44-year-old Nigerian businessman, Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, at the Port Harcourt International Airport for attempting to smuggle cocaine to Iran.
According to a statement released by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Ezemokwe was intercepted on Saturday, June 7, while attempting to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 to Tehran via Doha.
A body scan conducted by NDLEA officers revealed that Ezemokwe had ingested illegal substances. He was placed under observation and subsequently excreted 53 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.172 kilogrammes in six separate evacuations.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being involved in transnational drug trafficking for two years, claiming to have smuggled drugs between West Africa and Iran multiple times.
Pattern of Iran-Bound Drug Trafficking
This arrest comes just two weeks after NDLEA operatives apprehended 60-year-old businessman Chinedu Leonard Okigbo at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. Okigbo, also headed to Iran, was found with 65 pellets of cocaine concealed in his stomach.
Other Major Drug Busts Nationwide
In a separate operation at Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport on June 14, NDLEA officers intercepted Italy-bound passenger Edobor Ambrose Ali on an Air France flight. Working with Aviation Security personnel, officers discovered 14,410 Tramadol pills hidden inside winter jackets. Ali admitted he was recruited for an all-expense-paid trip to Nigeria with instructions to transport the drugs to Milan for €2,000.
That same week, NDLEA operatives at Onne port in Rivers State intercepted a container carrying 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over ₦1.1 billion. The shipment was cleverly hidden behind 257 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.
In Cross River State, on June 12, NDLEA officers raided a warehouse in Obereakai, Odukpani Local Government Area, seizing 2,687 kilogrammes of skunk. Three suspects—Friday Achibong Joseph (47), Abraham Anthony Willy (21), and Utibe David Okon (24)—were arrested during the operation.
The same day in Bauchi State, operatives intercepted a Toyota Camry along the Bauchi–Jos road containing 195 blocks of skunk weighing 287 kilogrammes. Two suspects, Iriemi Imonikhe (49) and Sa'idu Ladan (30), were taken into custody.
In Lagos, the NDLEA Marine Command recovered 14 jumbo sacks of skunk weighing 560 kilogrammes from a wooden boat at Oniru beach, highlighting the agency's vigilance along coastal routes.
Additionally, at the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport in Maiduguri, two businessmen—Ishaku Abdullahi (30) and Buba Usman (32)—were apprehended at the domestic wing with ecstasy pills and skunk disguised in fancy wrappings labelled 'Lychee' and 'Porro Legal'.
The NDLEA has encouraged all personnel nationwide to maintain a careful balance between cutting drug supply and reducing demand through ongoing public engagement and awareness campaigns.
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