Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two suspected drug traffickers, Elvis Uche Iro, 53 and Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian, 42, who reportedly excreted 165 wraps of cocaine.
They were said to have been arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
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The spokesman for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday in Abuja that Elvis was arrested on Saturday March 19, upon his arrival on board an Ethiopian Airline flight from Addis-Ababa for ingesting 65 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.376 kilograms.
“During a preliminary interview, he claimed he is an interior decorator but had to go into drug trafficking because he needed money to start a coffee business, take care of his family and stock his newly acquired shop with curtain materials/accessories in Lagos.
“He said he would have been paid $1,000 on successful delivery of the drug in Abuja,” Babafemi said.
Another passenger on the same flight, Christian reportedly ingested 100 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.243kgs.
Ikenna claimed to be a businessman dealing in baby wear before venturing into drug trafficking.
During interrogation, he allegedly said he travelled to Addis Ababa on Thursday, March 17, to buy the drug for $10,000 and returned on Saturday, March 19, when he was arrested.
Uwaezuoke said he sold his land in his village and took loans from friends to raise money to buy the drug.
He also claimed he had to go into drug to raise money for his business after being defrauded of $15,000 by his friend who lives in China.
Meanwhile, narcotic officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI), have intercepted substantial quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and cannabis sativa packaged for export to Australia, China, Qatar, Ireland and Thailand through some courier companies in Lagos.
While 2.9kg of Methamphetamine in packs of black soup and toner machine heading to Australia and Qatar was intercepted; 600grams of cocaine concealed in school certificates and file folders going to Australia and Thailand were equally seized.
No less than 25.5kg cannabis concealed in packs of soap and tins of palm fruit extracts (banga) heading to China and Ireland was also seized at a courier company in Lagos.
Also, 2,293.324kgs of assorted illicit drugs and N791,100 was recovered in major raids by operatives in Ogun, Rivers and Enugu states in the past week.
In Rivers, operatives on Thursday raided the notorious Abuja Water Front of Port Harcourt City following information provided by arrested suspects.
Three suspects: Larry Samuel, Mark James and Happiness Joseph, were arrested at the drug hub with 339.524kgs of cannabis sativa, methamphetamine and tramadol as well as N791,100.
Another suspected drug dealer in the area, Uduak Paul Emmanuel, is said to be at large.
In Ogun State, a 30-year-old lady, Peace Egidigbo, was arrested with 1863kgs of cannabis in Mowe, Obafemi/Owode LGA on Wednesday, while no less than 150 blocks of cannabis weighing 90.800kgs were seized from the cargo compartment of a bus owned by a transport company along Orji River via Onitsha Expressway, Enugu State.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and men of the agency for their diligence and vigilance, charging them to always strive to do more.
