NDLEA seizes N4.4bn cocaine at Lagos airport, grills 30 suspects

The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 845 wraps of cocaine weighing 18.72 kilograms and worth N4,492,800,000 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in the Ikeja area of Lagos State.

The cocaine was seized after the NDLEA operatives foiled a bid by suspected members of an international drug syndicate that operates between Brazil, Ethiopia, and Nigeria to smuggle the illicit drug into Lagos.

The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, November 3, 2024.

Babafemi said the drug consignments were recovered from two lavatories of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft during the post-landing cleaning of the cabin of flight ET900 from Addis Ababa to Lagos on Tuesday, October 29.

He stated that the illicit drug consignments were wrapped in nine polythene bags and hidden in the waste collectors in the two rear lavatories of the aircraft, from where they were recovered after the MMIA Strategic Command of NDLEA was alerted about the strange objects.

Babafemi added that investigations revealed that the seized drugs were conveyed from Brazil to Ethiopia through ingestion and excreted in Addis Ababa by a set of couriers, while some other traffickers picked them up and attempted to smuggle them into Nigeria through the Lagos airport before their attempt was frustrated with the cooperation of the airline’s authorities and other airport stakeholders.

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The NDLEA spokesman noted that 30 suspects have so far been grilled in connection with the seizure.

He said the anti-drug agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers, and communities in the past week.

Babafemi listed the activities to include WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Sanganare, Adamawa State; students of College of Arts and Islamic Studies, Tungan Magajiya, Niger State; students and staff of Regina Catholic International College, Obehie, Abia State; students and teachers of Akinmorin Grammar School, Oyo, Oyo State; and students and teachers of Redeemer’s International School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; among others.

Babafemi quoted the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), as applauding the anti-narcotic officers across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitisation lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.

The Star