The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a female suspect at Port Harcourt International Airport for attempting to traffic over 2.5 kilograms of cocaine to Iran.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that the woman, disguised in a hijab, was intercepted on May 3 at the airport’s departure hall while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran via Doha.
The arrest followed actionable intelligence.
During a search, officers discovered three wraps of cocaine concealed in her private parts and two large parcels hidden in false compartments of her handbag.
Further investigation revealed she had swallowed 67 pellets of cocaine. Under medical observation, she excreted all 67 over several days.
She confessed to having intended to swallow 70 pellets but managed only 67, hiding the rest internally.
The total weight of the drugs recovered from her was 2.523 kilograms.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos arrested a 22-year-old British national on Friday.
The suspect had arrived from Thailand via Doha and was found with 35 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 37.6 kilograms.
He admitted to having two prior convictions in the UK for drug trafficking and robbery.
He also revealed he was recruited in London to collect the drugs in Thailand and smuggle them into Nigeria.
Meanwhile, NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative continued across Nigeria, with sensitisation campaigns held in several schools, including Federal Government College in Sokoto, Deeper Life International College in Anambra, and Restoration Power International School in Akwa Ibom.
In Oyo State, NDLEA officials also held an enlightenment session for Islamic clerics at the Iseyin Central Mosque.