The National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 44-year-old businessman, Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, for ingesting 53 wraps of cocaine while on his way to Tehran Khomeini, Islamic Republic of Iran. The arrest was made at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Director of Media & Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, said Ezemokwe was arrested while trying to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 flying to Tehran Khomeini via Doha. After a body scan proved positive to ingestion of illicit drug, he was placed on excretion observation during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine in six excretions with a total weight of 1.172kg.

Babafemi said the suspect claimed to have gone into the criminal trade two years ago, moving between the West African sub-region and Iran. This arrest comes barely two weeks after NDLEA operatives at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) intercepted a 60-year-old businessman with 65 pellets of cocaine in his stomach.

In a similar development, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos intercepted an Italy-bound passenger, Edobor Ambrose Ali, with 14,410 pills of tramadol concealed in winter jackets. Babafemi said the suspect was hired and sent on an all-expense-paid trip to Nigeria to courier the drug consignments to Milan, Italy for a fee of 2000 Euros.

Femi Babafemi further disclosed that NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports in Onne, Rivers state, intercepted a shipment of 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth over N1.1 billion in street value. The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers and men of MMIA, PHIA, and other commands for their efforts in the war against drug abuse.

Marwa commended their compatriots in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts. The NDLEA boss’s praise comes as the agency continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities across the country, including sensitization lectures delivered to students and staff of various schools.