The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has cautioned commercial drivers and members of the public against transporting parcels without knowing their contents after a bus driver was nearly prosecuted over a package containing cocaine and methamphetamine.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, disclosed the incident in a post on his X page on Sunday.
According to Babafemi, the driver was given a bottle of Fearless energy drink as a waybill package in Lagos for delivery to Ondo State.
The driver reportedly believed the parcel contained an energy drink, but NDLEA operatives discovered that the bottle had been used to conceal cocaine and methamphetamine.
Babafemi said the driver was detained for some time and could have faced imprisonment, but was spared after officers traced and arrested the person who handed him the package.
Sharing a video of the incident, Babafemi wrote, “When they say don’t judge a book by its cover, it’s for a reason. A commercial bus driver spent some time in custody and would have ended in jail because he assumed a bottle of fearless energy drink given him as a waybill package in Lagos to deliver in Ondo state actually contains energy drink.”
He said the driver may have been fortunate that the person who gave him the parcel was traced, warning that others might not have the same outcome.
“Your own case may be devoid of such luck and you go in for it,” he said.
The NDLEA spokesperson advised drivers and other people involved in parcel transportation to avoid accepting packages whose contents they cannot confirm.
“Please avoid taking parcels you don’t know its content because possession makes you culpable, that’s the law,” he stated.
Reports state that the NDLEA arrested 25-year-old businessman Lovely Chukwulobelu at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, for allegedly attempting to traffic 72 wraps of cocaine to Portugal.
According to the report, Chukwulobelu allegedly turned to drug trafficking to offset expenses incurred during his wedding.