NDLEA arrests Iran-bound businessman at Port Harcourt airport for ingesting 53 wraps of cocaine

Barely two weeks after operatives of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano, intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Okigbo heading to Iran with 65 pellets of cocaine in his stomach, their counterparts at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) have arrested another businessman, 44-year-old Ezemokwe Christian for ingesting 53 wraps of the same class A drug while on his way to Tehran Khomeini, Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that, Ezemokwe was arrested at the Port Harcourt airport on 7th June while trying to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 flying to Tehran Khomeini in Iran via Doha.

The statement said, after a body scan proved positive to ingestion of the illicit drug, he was placed on excretion observation during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine in six excretions with a total weight of 1.172kg. The suspect claimed to have gone into the criminal trade two years ago, moving between the West African sub-region and Iran.

Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos International Airport, in the early hours of Saturday, intercepted an Italy-bound passenger, Edobor Ambrose Ali on an Air France flight.

The NDLEA officers in collaboration with the Aviation Security of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), discovered drug consignments hidden in the luggage of the suspect during baggage scanning on the tarmac.

The suspect was thereafter brought down from the aircraft for baggage identification after which a thorough search of the bag led to the discovery of 14, 410 pills of tramadol 225mg and 200mg concealed in winter jackets. In his statement, Ebodor said he lives in Italy where he was hired and sent on the all expense paid trip to Nigeria to courier the drug consignments to Milan, Italy for a fee of 2000 Euros.

At the Port Harcourt Ports in Onne, Rivers state, NDLEA operatives on Friday, intercepted a shipment of 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth over N1.1 billion in street value, during a joint examination of a watch-listed container with men of Customs Service and other security agencies. The opioid consignments were hidden behind 257 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.

Babafemi said, three suspects: Friday Achibong Joseph, Abraham Anthony Willy and Utibe David Okon were arrested on 12th June when NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Obereakai, Odukpani LGA, Cross River state, where a total of 2,687kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, was recovered.

Same day in Bauchi state, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence, arrested the duo of Iriemi Imonikhe and Sa’idu Ladan along Bauchi -Jos road after 195 blocks of skunk weighing 287kg were discovered in their Toyota Camry car marked AKL 201 GG.

While 14 jumbo sacks of skunk weighing 560kg were recovered from a wooden boat at Oniru beach in Lagos by operatives of the Marine Command of the NDLEA on 12th June, officers of the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport Maiduguri (MBIAM) same day arrested two businessmen: Ishaku Abdullahi and Buba Usman at the arrival hall of the domestic wing of the airport with various quantities of ecstasy pills and skunk packaged in fanciful wraps labelled as ‘Lychee’ and ‘Porro Legal’.

While commending the officers and men of Lagos International Airport, PHIA, MBIAM, PHPC, Marine, Cross River, and Bauchi Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) praised their compatriots in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

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