Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano have seized consignments of heroin and khat with a street value of over N10 billion.
The spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday in Abuja that at the MMIA, Lagos, during cargo examination at SAHCO Import Shed, a freight agent had presented a cargo from South Africa with an Ethiopian Airline ET 3901 Airway Bill No. 071-40689003 for examination before NDLEA operatives at the beat.
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He said the officers conducted a search of the cargo during which a suspicious brownish substance was discovered concealed inside a red ‘Ghana-must-go’ bag.
“During preliminary interview of the suspect, it was gathered that another freight agent sub-contracted the clearing job to him. Six suspects have so far been arrested in follow-up operations, while the substance had tested positive to heroin with a total weight of 24.05kg.
“Another consignment in the consolidated cargo has also proved to be methamphetamine with a weight of 1.25kg, bringing the total weight of illicit drugs seized in the cargo to 25.3kg. Though the cargo arrived the airport in the evening of 16th April, and searched the following day, follow-up operations leading to a number of arrests lasted till weekend,” Babafemi said.
He also quoted the Commander, MMIA Command of the agency, Ahmadu Garba, as saying that “The heroin and methamphetamine consignments were tagged in different names to deceive our officers but we uncovered them and neutralised their plot.”
In a similar development, the MAKIA Command of the agency in Kano seized a consignment meant for Manchester, United Kingdom at its Cargo shed.
“A sample of the substance in the consignment was sent for laboratory analysis and came out positive to khat, weighing 36kg.
“This thus bringing the total weight of illicit drugs seized at the two international airports to 61.3kg,” he added.
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