Businessman Arrested With 4.8kg Cocaine Allegedly Bound for Italy
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it intercepted drug consignments worth more than ₦5 billion at the Lagos and Onne ports and arrested a 38-year-old businessman allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.8kg of cocaine to Italy.
The suspect was arrested on September 27 at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said operatives recovered 16 parcels of cocaine hidden in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, as well as 195 wraps concealed in the railings of four travelling bags.
The agency said the suspect told investigators he paid ₦16 million for the cocaine hidden in the shoes, while the consignment in the bags was meant for a partner in Italy. He reportedly said the money came from compensation he received after losing the tips of two fingers in an industrial accident in Italy.
At Apapa Port, NDLEA operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 124kg of Thai Loud valued at ₦372 million. The drugs were allegedly concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons in a container shipped from Bangkok.
At Onne Port, Rivers State, officers recovered 22kg of Loud and 16,440kg of codeine-based cough syrup from two containers on the agency’s watchlist. The combined street value was put at ₦833.2 million.
At Tincan Island Port, Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg in a container shipped from Montreal. The consignment was valued at more than ₦3.8 billion.
The agency also reported major seizures and arrests in Osun, Lagos, Kogi, Plateau and Edo states, including cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine, Colorado and other illicit drugs.
In Osun, officers destroyed 20,234kg of cannabis cultivated on 8.09 hectares of farmland, while 209,000 tramadol tablets were recovered from an unoccupied compound in Lagos.
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Marwa commended the officers involved in the operations and directed them to sustain intelligence-led enforcement while combining drug control efforts with prevention and public sensitisation.