NDLEA Intercepts Suspect Who Excreted Cocaine At Enugu Airport, Arrests Engineer With 10,000 Opioid Pills In Abuja
NDLEA Intercepts Suspect Who Excreted Cocaine At Enugu Airport, Arrests Engineer With 10,000 Opioid Pills In Abuja
The anti-narcotics agency also arrested a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while attempting to travel to Italy with thousands of opioid pills hidden in his luggage.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a suspected drug trafficker, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after he allegedly excreted cocaine concealed in his stomach during inward passenger clearance.
The anti-narcotics agency also arrested a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while attempting to travel to Italy with thousands of opioid pills hidden in his luggage.
The arrests were disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport intercepted Onyeka on Wednesday, May 20, during the inward clearance of passengers aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight arriving from Sierra Leone through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The agency said the suspect was subsequently placed under observation, after which he excreted a total of 185.36 grams of cocaine.
The statement read, “NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on Wednesday 20th May intercepted a suspect Onyeka Valentine Emeka during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. When placed under observation, the suspect excreted a total of 185.36 grams of cocaine.”
In a separate operation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, NDLEA officers arrested Afekhide on Wednesday, May 21, as he attempted to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan Malpensa, Italy, via Addis Ababa.
The agency disclosed that a search of his luggage led to the discovery of 10,280 pills of Tramaking 225mg, Tramadol 200mg and Tapentadol 250mg.
According to the NDLEA, the opioids were carefully concealed inside a carton wrapped with foil paper and hidden in a suitcase in an apparent bid to evade security checks.
“At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide was on Wednesday 21st May arrested by NDLEA operatives while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Abuja via Addis Ababa to Milan Malpensa, Italy,” Babafemi added.
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“A search conducted on his luggage led to the recovery of 10,280 pills of Tramaking 225mg; Tramadol 200mg and Tapentadol 250mg. The opioids were concealed using foil paper and hidden inside a carton, in a suitcase, obviously to evade detection.”
The agency also announced fresh seizures at a courier company in Lagos, where operatives intercepted consignments of illicit drugs concealed in household and transport items intended for shipment to Europe and the United States.
Among the seizures were 1,174 pills of MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, hidden inside a bicycle luggage carrier and destined for the Netherlands.
NDLEA officers also recovered 66 pills of Tramadol 225mg concealed inside a soap container meant for shipment to the United States, as well as 18 tablets of Tramadol 225mg hidden in a body cream container heading to the United Kingdom.
In Edo State, operatives acting on intelligence raided the Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area, where they recovered 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489 kilograms alongside cannabis seeds weighing 9 kilograms.
The agency further disclosed that a suspect identified as Isah Sani, aged 30, was arrested with 196,000 pills of Exol-5 along the Zaria-Kano Road in Kano State on Wednesday, May 20.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Seme border area of Badagry in Lagos recovered 59 kilograms of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry, during an operation conducted on Tuesday, May 19.
Another major operation was recorded in Ekiti State, where NDLEA operatives on Saturday, May 23, raided a warehouse located at N/56, Ikoyi community, Ikole-Ekiti.
According to the statement, officers recovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk during the raid and arrested a 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, in connection with the seizure.
