NDLEA Arrests 2 Europe-Based Nigerians With 200 Cocaine Wraps At Abuja Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two Europe-based Nigerian businessmen who allegedly ingested 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46 kilogrammes in an attempt to smuggle the drugs to Paris, France.

The suspects, identified as Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, were arrested on Wednesday, October 28, during the outward clearance of an Air France flight, AF 832, from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The agency said the suspects, who had travelled to Nigeria on holiday, were intercepted after body scans conducted by NDLEA operatives confirmed the presence of foreign objects in their stomachs.

Odife, who reportedly lives in France and works in a factory, had arrived in Nigeria on October 21. He was found to have ingested 110 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.901kg, while Blackborn was discovered with 90 wraps weighing 1.559kg.

According to the agency, both men were placed under observation and subsequently excreted all 200 wraps, which tested positive for cocaine.

Suspected drug trafficker, Blackborn

In a related development, NDLEA operatives have arrested a woman, Aisha Isah, with 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition during a patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.

The agency disclosed that the ammunition was intercepted at the toll gate, although it did not provide further details about the intended destination or the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s possession of the ammunition.

The latest arrests formed part of a series of operations across the country in which the agency recovered large quantities of illicit drugs, including cannabis, tramadol, diazepam and other controlled substances.

In Lagos, operatives acting on intelligence intercepted two commercial buses conveying 976 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.

The first operation, conducted on Sunday, October 25, along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, led to the seizure of 537kg of the substance from a white Volkswagen LT 28 bus.

Another 439kg was recovered the same day from a brown J5 bus intercepted along the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway.

In Oyo State, two suspects, Oguntona Nasiru, 46, and Soji Balogun, 47, were arrested on Thursday, October 29, while allegedly loading 554kg of skunk into a Volvo truck along Idere Road, Igboora.

The operation was reportedly part of a follow-up raid targeting a suspected drug dealer identified as ‘Omo Oba’, who escaped arrest on October 25 when NDLEA operatives seized 309.5kg of cannabis, popularly known as Ghanaian Loud, allegedly linked to him.

In Kano State, operatives recovered 247,500 tablets of diazepam weighing 57.7kg and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 weighing 38.7kg during a raid at Tsamiya area of Gezawa on October 26.

Two days later, another operation in Dorayi led to the arrest of Ziya’ulhaq Abdullahi, 35, and Garba Muhammed, 52, with 19,250 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 13.6kg.

The agency also reported the arrest of a 68-year-old man, Ifeanyi Egwolonwu, along the Zaria-Kano Expressway at Gwargwaje, Zaria, with 2,770 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 100 ampoules of diazepam injection, 11,000 tablets of diazepam and 4,500 tablets of Exol-5.

In another operation at Tashan Banke, seven suspects, including Faisal Adamu, were arrested, while 178.85kg of cannabis and quantities of diazepam, tramadol, Exol-5 and pregabalin were recovered.

Some of the suspects arrested with Illicit drugs over the past week

In Ondo State, four suspects were arrested during a raid on cannabis farms in Ijare Forest on October 25.

Those arrested include Bassey Okon, 24; Abraham Edet, 20; and Oto Udo, 24. NDLEA operatives recovered 16 bags of processed cannabis weighing 180kg from the farms.

Similarly, a joint operation involving NDLEA operatives and soldiers led to the destruction of a 1.646-hectare cannabis plantation at Eko Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.

The plantation was estimated to have a yield of 4,115.53kg of cannabis.

A 50-year-old woman, Christiana Uboi, was arrested at the camp with 301kg of processed cannabis, while an additional 176kg was recovered during the operation.

In Sokoto State, operatives of the agency’s Zone 7 Command arrested a 68-year-old man, Ibrahim Ayuba, on October 31, with 236.6kg of skunk following intelligence-led operations.

The NDLEA said its operatives also arrested seven suspects during a separate raid at Tashan Banke, while continuing enforcement activities across its commands.

Commenting on the operations, the chairman/chief executive officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the Abuja airport and the Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Ondo, Oyo and Edo commands for the arrests and seizures.

Marwa described the arrest of the two cocaine couriers at the Abuja airport as a warning to Nigerians living abroad who believe their foreign residence could provide cover for international drug trafficking.

He said officers at the country’s entry and exit points remained vigilant, warning that anyone who risks ingesting illicit drugs for financial rewards could lose their lives and freedom.

The NDLEA chairman also directed personnel across the country to sustain the crackdown on drug trafficking networks while intensifying drug demand reduction campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.

The agency said its sensitisation activities during the week covered schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities, including Obawole Grammar School II, Ojodu, Lagos; Nsukka High School, Enugu State; Government Technical College, Dorayi Babba, Kano; and Ajagbe Comprehensive High School, Iperu, Ogun State.