The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Christian Ifeanyi Ogbuji, a 48-year-old businessman and ex-convict, for importing cocaine valued at N4.6 billion. Ogbuji was apprehended at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on September 18, 2024, just 16 months after being convicted for a similar offense.
Ogbuji’s previous arrest occurred at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in May 2023, where he was found ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine weighing nearly 2 kilograms. He was sentenced to two years in prison with the option of a N3 million fine, which he paid.
In the recent incident, Ogbuji arrived in Lagos on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa. NDLEA operatives found 817 wraps of cocaine, weighing 19.4 kilograms, concealed in a backpack he attempted to smuggle through baggage checks.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that Ogbuji is a key figure in a drug cartel operating across Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and West Africa. Despite his previous conviction, Ogbuji had obtained a new passport to continue his illegal trade.
