The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) says its operatives on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway in Ondo State have intercepted a truck conveying 1,633kg of skunk concealed in bags of rice shafts.
This is contained in a brief made available to Daily Trust on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA.
Babafemi said two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40; and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, linked to the illicit drug have been arrested.
The NDLEA spokesperson said 147kg of skunk was also recovered from Ita Ogbolu forest in Akure North Local Government Area of the state during a raid on Monday, August 3.
Babafemi disclosed that the agency’s operatives also arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, for allegedly ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine.
Babafemi explained that Cyril was arrested on Sunday during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930.
According to him, the suspect was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510kg.
He said investigations showed that Cyril arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13, 2026, and ingested the drug at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, before travelling to Enugu to board his flight to Europe.
In the brief, Cyril said he had been doing business in Italy for years before agreeing to traffic the consignment for €3,500 to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.