Italy-Based Businessman Arrested at Enugu Airport with 98 Cocaine Wraps

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu for attempting to smuggle 98 wraps of cocaine out of Nigeria. Cyril was apprehended on Sunday, August 2, 2026, while undergoing outward clearance for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930, bound for Italy via Addis Ababa and France.

Following his arrest, NDLEA operatives placed Cyril under observation, during which he excreted all 98 wraps of cocaine, totaling 1.510 kilograms. Investigations revealed that Cyril had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and allegedly ingested the drugs in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before traveling to Enugu to catch his return flight.

Cyril reportedly told investigators that he had been doing business in Italy for years but agreed to traffic the cocaine for €3,500. He claimed the money was intended to help him relocate to Germany, where his family resides. This arrest is part of a broader intensified campaign by the NDLEA against international drug trafficking and domestic distribution networks.

“

Following his arrest, NDLEA operatives placed him under excretion observation, during which he excreted all 98 wraps containing cocaine with a combined weight of 1.510 kilogrammes.

In other operations across the country, NDLEA operatives successfully foiled attempts to export 1.2 kilograms of cocaine concealed in phone chargers from Lagos to Saudi Arabia. Another 500 grams of cocaine destined for Italy was intercepted in Lagos, hidden in the false bottom of a backpack. Additionally, 2.3 kilograms of "Loud," a potent synthetic cannabis strain imported from the U.S., were seized in Lagos.

The agency's efforts also targeted major cannabis-producing and trafficking routes. On the Akure-Ilesha Expressway in Ondo State, operatives intercepted a truck carrying 1,633 kilograms of skunk concealed among rice shafts, arresting two suspects. Another 147 kilograms of skunk were recovered from Ita Ogbolu Forest in Ondo State. In Oyo State, a suspected drug warehouse was raided, leading to the seizure of 731.03 kilograms of skunk and the arrest of a 57-year-old suspect.

“

The suspect reportedly told investigators that he had been doing business in Italy for years but agreed to traffic the consignment for €3,500, allegedly to raise money to relocate to Germany, where members of his family are based.