The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that it seized a consignment of cocaine and heroin worth N30 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, in Lagos State.
The spokesman of the agency, Mr. Jonah Achema, said on Saturday in Abuja that the drugs were seized from Onyejegbu Ifesinachi Jennifer, a 33-year-old lady, who arrived Nigeria on Wednesday from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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According to him, the seizure weighing 26.840 kilograms is the biggest single seizure from an individual in the past 15 years.
Achema said that the drugs were seized after she was searched in line with NDLEA protocol profiling passengers “from high risk countries”.
“Field test was conducted on the recovered substances and proved positive to Cocaine and weighed 26.850 kilograms. The suspect who is a hair stylist and based in Brazil was interviewed and she confessed to have agreed to smuggle the hard drug for the sum of N2m only,” he said.
The NDLEA spokesman said that though she refused to disclose the names of her associates, the suspect said that she was asked to hand over the drugs to another person.
“The street value of this singular seizure is put at over N21 million.
Similar incident
“This development came on the heels of a similar one recorded two days earlier at the same airport, on January 25, 2021 when a red left-over luggage was declared to the NDLEA operatives as a left over at the E-arrival hall after the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian airline.
“Based on information on the luggage tag, the luggage arrived Nigeria from Sao Paulo, Brazil, a destination classified as high-risk country going by records and trends of arrest and seizures.
“Subsequently, the bag was transferred to the NDLEA Legal Seat being the administrative office at the passenger terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, for detention.
“While this was going on, the NDLEA Commander at the MMIA, Ahmadu Garba received an intelligence report of a purported plan to clear a consignment containing hard drugs through the Lagos airport.
“The details sent matched the bag earlier detained by the operatives at the Lagos airport. In a coordinated operation, on January 27, 2021, an NDLEA undercover agent was contacted by one Abubakar Aliyu.
“Guided by the operation and investigation unit, the undercover agent successfully lured the said Abubakar Aliyu into the cargo terminal of the airport where he was arrested. The suspect revealed to NDLEA operatives that another person was on his way to receive the bag based on the instruction of his sender who he gave his name as Ikechukwu Eze,” Achema said.
Arrest
He said that one Emmanuel Iyke Aniebonam was subsequently arrested based on the information given by Aliyu.
According to him, Emmanuel confessed that he was instructed by one Ikechukwu to receive the consignment.
He said, “Emmanuel was again set up to lure in Ikechukwu Eze but rather than showing up to get the consignment from Emmanuel, he sent another who said he was mandated to receive the consignment from him, and they agreed to meet at Ibis Royal Hotel, a few miles away from the airport.
“A follow-up operation was quickly organised to the hotel, where one Onwurah Kelvin was arrested and brought to the office.”
He added that the detained bag was opened in the presence all the three suspects, and whitish powdery substances were discovered neatly concealed and sewn inside five children duvets.
He said that field test was carried out on the exhibits which proved they are cocaine weighing 8.400 Kilograms, with a street value of over N7bn.
