The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Lagos-based businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, alongside suspected accomplices, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 3.30 kilograms of cocaine to the United Kingdom.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, stating that Chinedu, a clothing dealer at Balogun Market in Lagos, was linked to a drug trafficking network involved in the attempted exportation of the illicit substance.
According to the NDLEA, the cocaine shipment was intercepted at the export section of the Lagos airport on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. The drugs were reportedly hidden inside the walls of cartons containing food items.
The agency said Chinedu, 55, who hails from Anambra State, was arrested the following day, Thursday, July 23, after operatives traced the consignment back to him.
During the investigation, NDLEA officers also arrested three cargo agents allegedly connected to the shipment: Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim.
The investigation later led to the arrest of Kenneth Okakpu, who was accused of delivering the consignment to the cargo agents for transportation to the UK.
The agency said Okakpu’s arrest provided crucial information that exposed Chinedu as the alleged mastermind of the operation. NDLEA added that the businessman was apprehended while allegedly preparing to send another cocaine consignment abroad.