NDLEA Arrests Nigerian Footballer for Trying To Smuggle Drugs Through Lagos Airport
- Ex-Nigerian footballer Segun Hunkarin was arrested by NDLEA operatives at Lagos airport over alleged hard drug trafficking
- Hunkarin admitted to past drug trafficking activities during his time as a professional footballer in Brazil
- His arrest follows a pattern of recent drug cases involving footballers globally, including Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Quincy Promes
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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested former Nigerian footballer Segun Hunkarin for his alleged role in a drug smuggling operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Hunkarin was arrested alongside a businessman, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, who had just arrived from Turkey via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Source: UGC
According to Punch NG, NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi confirmed Chinedu was caught with 37 wraps of white powder weighing approximately 800 grams, carefully hidden in his carry-on luggage.
During interrogation, Chinedu admitted to receiving the luggage while transiting through Addis Ababa, raising red flags about a wider trafficking network.
Acting on intelligence, NDLEA officials identified Hunkarin as the individual designated to receive the smuggled drugs.
He was arrested in the airport’s car park shortly after Chinedu’s apprehension.
Hunkarin confesses to drug trafficking
The arrest of Hunkarin sent shockwaves across the Nigerian sports community, especially given his past as a professional footballer who spent years playing in Brazil, Vanguard reports.
Source: Getty Images
During questioning, Hunkarin confessed to being involved in drug trafficking on two occasions in the past, transporting drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia, though he claimed he had never smuggled drugs into Nigeria until now.
“In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia,” NDLEA spokesman Babafemi revealed.
The NDLEA's operation highlights how some athletes, particularly those who fall on hard times after retirement, become vulnerable to illegal ventures.
Hunkarin’s case is now part of a growing list of former footballers caught in drug-related crimes.
Footballers involved in drugs trafficking
Hunkarin is not the only footballer recently linked to drug trafficking.
Earlier this year, The Guardian reported that former Arsenal academy player Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a £600,000 weed-smuggling scheme involving his girlfriend and her friend.
In another high-profile case, Quincy Promes, a former Dutch international once linked with a move to Manchester United, was sentenced to six years in prison in absentia for his role in trafficking hundreds of kilograms of hard drugs through Europe in 2020, Sky News reported.
These cases underscore a disturbing trend of athletes transitioning from sports to crime, often driven by financial troubles or poor decisions after their playing careers end.
The NDLEA continues to monitor and crack down on such activities, especially at major airports and border points.
Nigerian footballer caught with fake visa
In another development, Legit.ng reported that Highlands Park player Franklin Ogbonna has been found to have used fraudulent study and work visas in South Africa.
The Nigerian player led former PSL side Highlands Park to victory in the 2024/25 SAFA Gauteng ABC Motsepe League.
Source: Legit.ng
