PHOTO: NDLEA intercepts ‘drug shipment concealed in body cream’ at Lagos airport, arrests two
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of opioids and methamphetamine concealed in body cream containers, winter jackets, and carton walls at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the agency also recovered large quantities of illicit drugs in coordinated operations across Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Taraba, and Adamawa.
Babafemi said two suspects were arrested at the Lagos airport while attempting to traffic opioids to Italy.
He said one of the suspects, 37-year old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on March 20 while boarding an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome with 2,698 pills of tramadol (225mg) concealed in containers of skin-lightening cream packed in his luggage.
Babafemi said Ehianuka, who resides in Milan, confessed he was promised payment in euros upon successful delivery of the drugs.
Another suspect, Christian Agbonhese, was arrested on March 18 at the departure hall of the airport while attempting to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan.
“A search of his luggage led to the recovery of 23,150 pills of tramadol (225mg), 4,000 tablets of tapentadol (250mg), and 1,320 pills of tramadol (100mg), all concealed in two large winter jackets,” the statement reads.
At a courier firm in Lagos, NDLEA operatives also intercepted two parcels of “Loud”, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, shipped from the United States.
The agency said it also foiled an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand.
Babafemi said the agency recorded multiple seizures and arrests in other parts of the country.
In Kano, he said operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, with 102.5kg of skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while Uche Johnson Festus was nabbed the same day at Naibawa Gabas with 95.5kg of the substance.
He added that in Lagos, 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered from a store in the Otto area of Ijora, while Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara were arrested on the Third Mainland Bridge with 8,380 bottles of the same substance.
In Edo, NDLEA operatives recovered 97.5kg of skunk from the residence of Akeem Idde in Ojah, Akoko-Edo LGA.
In the FCT, a commercial bus was intercepted along the Gwagwalada expressway, leading to the recovery of 91,840 pills of tramadol concealed in body compartments of the vehicle. The driver, Aminu Ali was arrested.
Babafemi said in Oyo, Bankole Bari was arrested in Ibarapa LGA with 71.2kg of skunk allegedly smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Oyan river.
In Kaduna, operatives recovered 586,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 from Lawal Anas, 28, along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol were seized from Musa Shuaibu at the same location days later.
He added that in Taraba, Aliyu Adamu was arrested along the Takum-Jalingo highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol.
Babafemi said in Adamawa, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol in a truck in Yola.
The suspects were identified as Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and Musa Mohammed.
The NDLEA spokesperson added that the agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools and communities across several states.
