NDLEA arrests Brazil-based Nigerian with cocaine hidden in body, shoes

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country.

Onyekwere, 47, was intercepted on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg.

A full-body scan revealed that he had concealed three large wraps of white powder, later confirmed as cocaine, totaling 1.6 kilograms, around his right thigh and in the soles of his footwear.

During a subsequent strip search, officers recovered the parcels of cocaine, which Onyekwere admitted purchasing in Brazil with the intention of reselling in Nigeria.

He claimed the proceeds were meant to raise capital for his business and fund the naming ceremony of his newborn child.

Onyekwere, who has lived in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2008, has been operating a toy business for nearly a decade.

The arrest highlights the NDLEA’s proactive use of intelligence and advanced screening technology to intercept drug traffickers. Chairman of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for their professionalism and reiterated the agency’s commitment to preventing the importation and circulation of illicit drugs in Nigeria.

The NDLEA continues to conduct nationwide operations and sensitization campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) program to curb drug trafficking and abuse across the country.