Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos State have arrested a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Mrs. Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, over her attempt to traffic 400grams of cocaine concealed in her footwear to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The suspect who claims to be a businesswoman trading in adults and children’s wears on Lagos Island was intercepted on Sunday 13th November while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight going to Saudi Arabia via Doha.
Spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday in Abuja that upon a critical examination of the pair of sandals she was wearing, two parcels of cocaine weighing 400grams were recovered from them.
In the same vein, attempts by a tricycle parts seller, Ayoade Kehinde Tayo, to send 1kg of Tramadol 225mg and Rohypnol to Istanbul, Turkey via Cairo on an Egypt Airline flight on the same day were also frustrated by NDLEA operatives who arrested him.
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“He (Tayo) was at the airport to hand over the drugs hidden inside a bag of food items to an intending passenger, Idowu Ayoade but was arrested before he succeeded in doing that,” Babafemi said.
Also, an intending passenger to Oman via Asky Airline, Agbamuche Bright Nkeonye, and a lady, Adeoye Oluwakemi Fatimo, who accompanied him to present a bag containing varieties of foodstuffs and body lotion which were used to conceal 1.10kg Cannabis and some Rohypnol capsules were also arrested at the departure hall of the Lagos airport on Thursday 18th November.
Anti-narcotics officers attached to the SAHCO export shed of the airport equally foiled attempts by traffickers to smuggle consignments of cannabis and ecstasy tablets concealed in three tubers of yam going to Dubai, UAE on Wednesday 17th November.
The freight agent who presented the yams for export, Inegbu Ugochi Akunna, was promptly arrested while the consignor, Ahmodu Sulaimon was also nabbed thereafter.
At the Brawal container shed of Kirikiri lighter terminal in Lagos, NDLEA operatives also intercepted cartons of deadly drinks in a container marked ‘APZU3671697’ during a joint examination with the Nigerian Customs Service.
Though the bill of lading indicated that the container originated from Cape Town, South Africa, a search of the shippers’ database showed it was loaded from Antwerp, Belgium.
A full inspection of the container on Thursday 18th November showed a total of five cartons of beverages labeled as Euphoria cannabis beer and three cartons of cannabis energy drink were found.
Other drinks in the container include: 21 cartons of a drink labeled as monkey shoulder; 20 cartons of dead man’s finger; and 139 of champagne fruit, among others.