Drug Trafficker Arrested at Lagos Airport for Concealing Cocaine in Sandals
A 50-year-old Spain-based businessman has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria. The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, while attempting to board a flight to Madrid, Spain.
According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesman, the suspect had two parcels of cocaine weighing 1.20 kilograms concealed in the soles of his black sandals. The drugs were discovered by operatives of the agency during a search at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the airport.
In his preliminary interview, the suspect claimed that the consignment was delivered to him at a bar in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He stated that he was supposed to deliver the drugs to his friend and neighbor in Spain for a fee of Five Thousand Euros (€5,000).
This is not the only drug-related case the agency has handled recently. Another suspect, Lekan Makinde, has been arrested in connection with the seizure of 99 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of marijuana weighing 51.60 kilograms. The drugs had arrived the Skyway Aviation Handling Company, SAHCO, Imports shed of the Lagos airport on a Turkish Airlines flight from Canada via Istanbul, Turkey.
Meanwhile, operatives of a Special Operations Unit targeting syndicates that specialize in shipping large consignments of opioids into neighboring countries have arrested one of the Kingpins, Chukwuemeka Obodozie. The suspect was arrested in the early hours of Sunday, July 21, at Cele bus stop along Oshodi-Apapa express road, Lagos, after arriving from Ghana via one of the transport companies plying the Lagos-Ghana route. He was found with 100,000 tablets of tramadol 225mg loaded in two bags shortly after his arrival.
The intelligence-led operation followed five months of surveillance around Chukwuemeka, according to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi.
These arrests and seizures demonstrate the agency’s commitment to combating drug trafficking in Nigeria and disrupting the activities of drug cartels.
