Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two businessmen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, with consignments of cocaine and heroin going to Hong Kong and France in their bellies.
While 38-year-old Drug Trafficking was arrested at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on Friday, October 2023, during the outward clearance of passengers on Air France flight 818 to Paris, 41-year-old Agbo Chidike Prince was taken into NDLEA custody on Saturday, October 21, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 950 to Hong Kong via Addis Ababa.
They were both arrested and detained after their body scan revealed they ingested illicit drugs, after days in custody and a number of excretions.
Spokesperson for NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the development, yesterday, said Emenike excreted 72 wraps of heroin weighing 1.171 kilogrammes, while Chidike discharged 49 pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 998.53 grammes.
Babafemi said Chidike in his statement, claimed he was a businessman dealing in spare parts at the Alaba International market in Ojo area of Lagos.
He added that he was to be paid N3.1million, which he intended to use to import goods from Hong Kong.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, October 25, intercepted a Qatar Airways flight passenger going to Oman, and arrested Agbo Celestine Tochukwu with a consignment of 58 parcels of skunk weighing 29.10kgs while undergoing processes to board his flight at the terminal 11 of the airport.
In his statement, Tochukwu claimed he relocated to Oman on May 6, and has been working as hotel attendant in Oman before venturing into drug trafficking.
seized drugs
Meanwhile, a total of 2,197 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered in four interdiction operations in parts of Ondo State within four days.
While 1,165.5kgs were seized in Uso, Owo Local Council on Wednesday, October 25, a consignment of 691kgs were recovered from Ukugu forest in Ipele the previous day, Tuesday, October 24.
A suspect, Ifeanyi Abuguja, 32, was arrested with 87kgs of same substance on Monday, October 23, at Agula Road, Ogbese, Akure North LGA, while 253.5kgs were recovered at Ogbese market in Akure North Local Council on Thursday, October 26.
In Oyo State, two suspects: Ayo Dele, 19, and Olaitan Ahmed, 23, were arrested with 160 grammes of cannabis at a drug joint at Nalende area of Ibadan metropolis on Sunday, October 22, while a follow up operation at their warehouse in the same area led to the recovery of 332kgs of the same substance.
While operatives of the Lagos Command of the Agency intercepted and recovered a vehicle loaded with 209kgs of Loud at Okun Ajah area of the state on Monday, October 23, their counterparts in Gombe on Saturday, October 28, recovered an abandoned consignment of 401 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 392kgs and 21,000 capsules of tramadol at Tumfure area of the state.
