NDLEA arrests businessman for ingesting 90 wraps of cocaine at Airport

A 50-year-old businessman has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly ingesting 90 wraps of cocaine at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) in Enugu.

The arrest took place on Wednesday during the screening of passengers arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

According to NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect was apprehended following months of intelligence gathering and surveillance.

Upon his arrest, he was placed under observation for excretion, during which he expelled 90 pellets of cocaine, totaling 2.019kg.

The investigation revealed that the suspect, who runs a phone and accessories business in Lagos and Gabon, had traveled by road from Gabon to Douala, Cameroon, before flying to Addis Ababa. During his transit, he ingested the cocaine pellets and continued his journey to Enugu, with Lagos as his final destination.

Despite his efforts to complicate his travel history, he had been on the NDLEA’s watchlist for three months.

In his statement, the suspect claimed he resorted to drug trafficking to boost his declining business.

In another operation on Thursday, NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit arrested a 42-year-old man, believed to be the leader of a cocaine distribution cartel, along with five associates at Ago Palace Way in Okota, Isolo, Lagos. A total of 2.412kg of cocaine was recovered.

Furthermore, the agency dismantled a drug syndicate operated by a 58-year-old Chinese national, who was arrested at his hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.

Officers from the Seme Special Area Command intercepted a 40-year-old suspect en route to Ghana at the Gbaji checkpoint on the Badagry-Seme expressway, finding 750g of cocaine in his bag.

The investigation led to the Chinese national’s arrest, where further searches in his hotel room recovered 4.3g of cocaine, 1g of methamphetamine, and electronic weighing scales.