Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 52-year-old businessman, Ejiofor Godwin Emeka, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) for ingesting and attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the suspect, who operates boutiques in Lagos and Onitsha, was intercepted on October 8 upon arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, via Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941, following credible intelligence.
Babafemi explained that a body scan confirmed the suspect had ingested cocaine and also concealed some wraps in his private parts.
He added that fifty-eight wraps were found in the suspect’s underwear, while another sixty-nine were excreted during observation, bringing the total to 127 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.388 kilograms.
He said Ejiofor was placed under close monitoring until he excreted all the pellets.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at courier companies in Lagos intercepted three consignments of illicit drugs heading to the United Kingdom.
The shipments included 1.74 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside glass ceramics, pentazocine and tramadol injections, and tramadol capsules disguised as Vitamin C.
Other intercepted packages included skunk and tapentadol tablets concealed in black soaps bound for Turkey, cocaine hidden in ladies’ handbags destined for Australia, and cannabis packed in herbal containers going to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, NDLEA officers also seized 27,510 pills of Rohypnol concealed inside sachets of alcoholic drinks destined for South Africa.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged mastermind, Samuel Omoruyi, aged 46, at Oyingbo Market in Lagos.
In another operation, the agency arrested an Italy-based businessman, Enehizena Augustine Uyimwen, who was attempting to export 3,700 pills of tramadol and 2,600 tablets of tapentadol to Europe.
Across the country, NDLEA commands in Edo, Osun, Rivers, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, and Kaduna States also carried out multiple raids, leading to the arrest of several suspects and the recovery of over 1,000 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs.