Barely 16 months after his conviction for drug trafficking, Christian Ifeanyi Ogbuji, a 48-year-old businessman, has been arrested again by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for importing cocaine worth N4.6 billion. Ogbuji was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for smuggling 817 wraps of the drug, weighing 19.40kg.
This is not Ogbuji’s first brush with the law. He was previously arrested in May 2023 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine. Though sentenced to two years in prison, he paid a N3 million fine and was released. However, his international passport and the cocaine were forfeited by the court.
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In his latest arrest, Ogbuji attempted to smuggle the drugs by hiding a black backpack on the carousel at the Lagos airport. He was caught by vigilant NDLEA officers during a secondary search, which uncovered the hidden drugs. The consignment, linked to multiple traffickers, was traced to an international drug cartel operating between Nigeria, Brazil, and other West African countries.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s officers for the successful operation, stating that the significant drug seizure sends a clear message to cartels seeking to expand their operations into Nigeria. He reiterated the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks in the country.
