An Italian working for a construction company in Nigeria conspired with a Nigerian to smuggle a total of 38,840 tons of hazardous waste from Italy, disguised as chemical products, into Koko Port in Bendel State, Nigeria, over five separate occasions from August 1987 to May of the following year. The barrels contained dangerous chemical substances. In Koko, the corroding barrels were stored in the backyard of an unsuspecting farmer. After a few months, they began to leak, contaminating the soil and groundwater and causing serious illnesses among several villagers.