Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested former international footballer Segun George Hunkarin and his businessman partner, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria via Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Chinedu, known for importing clothes from Turkey and exporting Nigerian foodstuffs, was apprehended on June 24, 2025, after 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800 grams were found concealed in his carry-on bag. Investigations revealed that Chinedu collected the drugs during a transit stop in Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Turkey.
Further checks led to the arrest of Hunkarin, who was waiting at the airport car park to collect the package. Hunkarin, who spent several years playing professional football in Brazil, admitted trafficking drugs twice between Brazil and Ethiopia but denied smuggling into Nigeria.
In a separate operation on June 27, NDLEA arrested Europe-based businessman Amen Okoro Godstime at MMIA while attempting to traffic 5,000 tramadol pills disguised as malaria medication. Okoro claimed the drugs were to be shipped from France to Italy after arriving in Spain.
On the same day, NDLEA operatives at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, intercepted Ezenwaka Chibuzor Emmanuel, a Mozambique-based bar attendant. He was found carrying 17.5 kilograms of methamphetamine and 3.05 kilograms of cocaine concealed in bedsheets after arriving from Johannesburg via Addis Ababa.
All suspects remain in custody as investigations continue.
