By Amofokhai Williams
In a significant crackdown, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a 52-year-old businessman at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) after he excreted 127 wraps of cocaine, highlighting a broader offensive against sophisticated international drug trafficking networks .
The arrest of Ejiofor Godwin Emeka, who operates boutiques in Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra State, unfolded on Wednesday, October 8, following his arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Credible intelligence had tipped off NDLEA operatives, leading to a body scan that confirmed the presence of illicit substances.
According to NDLEA‘s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, the initial search yielded 58 wraps of cocaine from Emeka’s underwear.
Subsequently, placed under excretion observation, the suspect egested an additional 69 pellets over seven sessions, bringing the total recovery to 127 wraps of the Class A drug, weighing 1.388 kilograms.
Concurrent operations in Lagos exposed a sophisticated network employing inventive concealment methods to export narcotics globally.
Between October 9 and 10, NDLEA operatives intercepted three consignments at a courier company destined for the United Kingdom . One shipment contained 1.74 kg of methamphetamine cleverly hidden inside blocks of glass ceramics.
Another included 114 grams and 168 grams of pentazocine and tramadol injections, respectively, while a third consignment had 48 grams of tramadol capsules concealed in a Vitamin C container.
Further interceptions at courier companies in Lagos thwarted attempts to ship illicit drugs to other continents. Authorities recovered 2.6kg of skunk and 422grams of tapentadol concealed in tablets of black soap heading to Turkey; 169 grams of cocaine hidden in ladies’ handbags bound for Australia; and 568 grams of “Loud,” a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in containers of herbs going to the United Arab Emirates.
The agency’s operations extended across multiple states, resulting in significant seizures and arrests. At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, officers intercepted 27,510 pills of Rohypnol concealed in sachets of alcoholic drinks en route to South Africa.
This seizure led to the arrest of a freight agent and a cab driver, culminating in a follow-up operation that nabbed the alleged mastermind, 46-year-old Samuel Omoruyi (alias Yellow), at Oyingbo Market on October 2.
In a separate case at the Lagos airport, an Italy-based businessman, Enehizena Augustine Uyimwen, was arrested for attempting to export 3,700 pills of tramadol and 2,600 tablets of tapentadol hidden within food items to Europe . Uyimwen confessed to trafficking the opioids for a fee of €945.
The NDLEA also reported successful raids and arrests in Edo, Osun, Rivers, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, and Kaduna states, leading to the recovery of large quantities of cannabis skunk, tramadol capsules, and other illicit pharmaceuticals. In Osun state alone, two separate operations led to the seizure of 635kg and 100kg of skunk.
Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, commended the officers of the MMIA, MAKIA, and various state commands for their recent successes.
He urged them to maintain their “tenacity, professionalism and balanced approach” in the agency’s relentless drug control efforts.
