Drug Trafficking: Paris-Bound Nigerian Businessman Excretes 111 Wraps Of Cocaine At Abuja Airport

Orjinze excreted the wraps after days of observation in the agency’s custody following his arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, revealed that Okechukwu, who also claimed to be a professional footballer in Europe, was arrested last Tuesday during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 from Abuja to Paris.

A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, and over three days in custody, he excreted a total of 111 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.603 kilograms. Okechukwu claimed to do business in the maritime sector while scouting for European football clubs to engage him.

In another operation, NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate, arresting four members and seizing a total of 8 kilograms of methamphetamine and 7.6 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from South Africa.

The syndicate was exposed when an airport official was intercepted with a backpack and bag containing the illicit substances.

Follow-up operations at Ajao Estate in Lagos led to the arrest of two more syndicate members: Chris Nwadozie and Chinedu Nwaosu.

Further investigation resulted in the arrest of another cartel member within the airport system last Saturday.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport arrested a freight agent, Sonubi Abiodun, for attempting to cargo eight parcels of cocaine weighing 2 kilograms concealed in three out of six paint buckets containing shea butter packaged for export to the United Kingdom last Wednesday.

In Igbo Elerin, Ojo local government area of Lagos State, NDLEA officers arrested a suspect, Odumegwu Obijofor, on Tuesday, 21st May, for producing and distributing “skuchies,” a mixture of black currant and illicit drugs.

Babafemi added that no fewer than 2,480 liters of the New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) were recovered from his clandestine factory.

In Cross River state, Ogar Emmanuel was arrested with 2.5 kilograms of cannabis at Ukpada Utugwan village, while 29 sacks of the same substance weighing 290 kilograms were recovered from the warehouse of another suspect, Usani Ikpi, who is currently at large.

Three suspects: Sa’adu Sule, 23; Mukhtar Nura, 23; and Hamza Nura, 18, were nabbed at Jabiri Funtua, Katsina state last Friday with 129 blocks of cannabis weighing 70 kilograms coming from Ogere, Ogun state.

The spokesman added that five suspects, including Ezekiel Munda, 30, and Sule Mustapha, 21, were arrested by NDLEA operatives on Thursday, 23rd May, during raids at Karu Abattoir, Jikwoyi, and Tora Bora hill area of FCT, Abuja, where 95.01 kilograms of cannabis and different quantities of opioids were recovered.

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In Edo state, operatives arrested a physically challenged alleged notorious drug dealer, Zekere Sufianu, 45, at Auchi town on Wednesday, 22nd May.

At the time of his arrest, he was found with 751 grams of Loud, 178 grams of tramadol, and pills of swinol.

The various commands of the agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week.

Commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, FCT, Lagos, Cross River, Katsina, and Edo commands of the agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), also applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.