PHOTOS: Italy-based businessman swallows 98 wraps of cocaine, NDLEA catches him before flight

• Italy-based businessman Joseph Cyril was arrested at Enugu airport after allegedly swallowing 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510kg while attempting to travel to Europe.

• The suspect reportedly said he accepted €3,500 to traffic the drugs so he could relocate to Germany, where his family lives.

• NDLEA also intercepted cocaine hidden in phone chargers, a backpack, and cannabis shipped from the United States.

• Across several states, the agency seized thousands of kilograms of skunk, arrested multiple suspects, and intercepted cannabis-infused cookies and gummies at Tincan Port.

A Nigerian businessman based in Italy has landed in serious trouble after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) allegedly caught him attempting to smuggle cocaine out of the country by swallowing nearly 100 wraps of the hard drug.

The suspect, identified as Joseph Cyril, 30, was arrested at the departure hall of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu while preparing to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy through Addis Ababa and France.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the arrest happened during passenger clearance on Sunday, August 2, 2026.

After he was taken into custody, officials placed him under excretion observation, where he reportedly expelled 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510kg.

The agency said: “The suspect who was nabbed at the departure hall of the airport on Sunday, 2nd August 2026 during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930, was subsequently placed on excretion observation during which he excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilograms.”

According to Babafemi, investigations showed that Cyril had only recently returned to Nigeria from Italy before agreeing to transport the drugs.

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He explained: “Investigations revealed that Cyril had arrived Nigeria from Italy on 13th July 2026 and ingested the drug in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State before proceeding to Enugu to board his flight to Europe on Sunday 2nd August.”

The suspect reportedly admitted that he agreed to traffic the drugs because he needed money to relocate to Germany, where his family currently lives.

Babafemi added: “In his statement, he claimed he has been doing business in Italy for years before agreeing to traffic the drug consignment for a fee of 3,500 Euros in order to raise money to relocate to Germany where his family is based.”

The agency disclosed that officers in Lagos also stopped an attempt to ship 1.2kg of cocaine concealed inside 25 phone chargers bound for Saudi Arabia.

Babafemi said: “Attempts by some drug trafficking syndicates to export 1.2 kilograms of cocaine concealed in 25 pieces of phone chargers going to Saudi Arabia were thwarted by NDLEA operatives at a courier firm in Lagos.”

Another shipment heading to Italy was also intercepted.

He added: “A similar bid to send 500 grams of the same class A drug hidden in the false bottom of a backpack to Italy was equally aborted in another logistics company by NDLEA officers on Monday 3rd August.”

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Beyond the airport arrests, NDLEA said it recorded several major operations across the country during the week.

Among the seizures was 2.3kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, intercepted after arriving from the United States.

The agency also intercepted a truck on the Akure-Ilesha Expressway carrying 1,633kg of skunk hidden inside bags of rice chaff.

Babafemi said: “NDLEA officers on patrol along Akure-Ilesha expressway on Tuesday 4th August intercepted a truck heading to the North with 1,633 kilograms of skunk concealed in bags of rice shafts.”

Two suspects, Buba Jamilu (40) and Sanusi Ibrahim (30), were arrested in connection with the shipment.

Another 147kg of skunk was recovered during a raid in Ita Ogbolu forest.

In Oyo State, operatives raided a warehouse in Elebure village, recovering more than 731kg of cannabis.

Babafemi said: “In Oyo state, operatives acting on credible intelligence on Monday 3rd August raided a drug warehouse in Elebure village, Orire LGA, where they recovered 731.03 kilograms and arrested a suspect, Felicia Thompson, 57, while her partner, Thompson Vincent Nwaka is at large.”

In Edo State, officers working alongside soldiers recovered another 604.5kg of skunk during a raid in Owan West Local Government Area.

Meanwhile, in Abia State, Chibuike Charles, 31, was arrested during a raid on a suspected drug joint, where 7kg of skunk was recovered.

NDLEA also announced the arrest of Adome Claude Sikuru, a wanted drug dealer who had allegedly been on the run for three months.

The agency said 88.5kg of skunk was recovered from him after his arrest in Badagry, Lagos.

In another operation, NDLEA officers working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies intercepted a 40-foot container carrying 309.4kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies at the Tincan Port in Lagos.

Babafemi said: “A total of 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cookies and gummies infused with cannabis weighing 309.4kg were discovered during a joint examination of a 40ft container by NDLEA officers, Customs and other security agencies on Tuesday 4th August at the Tincan port complex Lagos.”

He added that: “A suspect, Larry Nnaji, has already been arrested in connection with the seizure.”

The latest arrests and seizures are part of NDLEA's ongoing nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks, with the agency continuing to target traffickers at airports, seaports, courier companies and major transport routes across the country.