The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has re-arrested notorious drug trafficker Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, who was previously convicted in 2023 for dealing in 30.10 kilograms of methamphetamine.

The arrest follows the seizure of 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilograms, concealed in factory-sealed sachets of cold-water starch, destined for the United Kingdom at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) export shed in Ikeja, Lagos.

According to a statement by NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the operation also led to the arrest of three cargo agents Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun, and Igwe Chioma Jane on December 20, 2025.

Subsequent investigations identified 37-year-old Basil as the mastermind, who was apprehended the following day at a popular Ikeja relaxation centre during a date with his girlfriend.

Basil had previously been arrested in May 2023 when 30.10 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized from powdered custard containers bound for London.

He was convicted at a Federal High Court (FHC/L/337C/2023) and sentenced to five years imprisonment with an option of a ₦7,000,000 fine and one month of community service. After paying the fine, he returned to drug trafficking.

In separate operations, the NDLEA also arrested:

Sada’u Mohammed, a 65-year-old driver in Gombe State, transporting 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 27,900 tramadol pills along the Gombe-Biu highway.

In separate operations, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives destroyed warehouses and seized large quantities of cannabis in Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos and Taraba between December 21 and 25, 2025, with several suspects arrested.