NDLEA Arrests Brazil Returnee With Cocaine Concealed In Private Part

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, for concealing parcels of cocaine in his private part and soles of his footwear.

Onyekwere was arrested on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of South African Airways flight passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg following processed intelligence. When the 47-year-old suspect was taken a full body scan, the result confirmed illicit drug concealment.

As a result, he was subjected to a strip search, during which a big parcel of white powdery substance, which later tested positive for cocaine, was discovered wrapped around his right thigh.

NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said: “a further search revealed two additional wraps of the same substance concealed in the sole of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect.

“In all, three large wraps of cocaine, with a gross weight of 1.60 kilograms, were recovered from his body and footwear.

“During a preliminary interview, the suspect revealed he purchased the illicit drug consignment in Brazil with the intention to resell the cocaine in Nigeria in order to raise capital to boost his business and also finance the naming ceremony of his newly born child.

“The suspect who lives in Rua Ever, Mulariuha, São Paulo, claimed that he has been living in Brazil since 2008 while he has been operating a toy business for about nine years.”

Also, at the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a total of 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis with a gross weight of 1,183 kilograms imported from Montreal, Canada, in a container was discovered on Wednesday, January 28, during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA officers, Customs operatives and other security agencies.

The illicit consignments were hidden inside two vehicles: a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix car.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence in the early hours of Tuesday, January 26, intercepted a long truck marked T 31589 LA along Dei-Dei expressway in Abuja where they arrested the trio of Andy Chidogu, 49; Kenneth Ogene, 45; and Sadiq Olanrewaju, 27, for conveying 176 bags of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 2,735 kilograms and 1 kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, concealed in the truck.

Investigations revealed that Ogene, who drove the truck, left Lagos on January 23, loaded with 800 bags of flour to Ekpoma, Edo State, and arrived the following day. In Ekpoma, he then negotiated to transport the 176 bags of skunk and 1kg Colos for N1.7million.