In a major drug interdiction operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, a 44-year-old businessman, at Port Harcourt International Airport on June 7. The suspect was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Tehran, Iran, when a body scan revealed he had ingested 53 wraps of cocaine weighing a total of 1.172 kilograms.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that after the positive scan, Ezemokwe was monitored closely and excreted the cocaine in six separate instances. The suspect admitted involvement in trafficking cocaine between West Africa and Iran for two years.
This incident follows a similar arrest two weeks prior at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, where Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, aged 60, was caught with 65 wraps of cocaine internally concealed, also bound for Iran.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives detained Edobor Ambrose Ali, who attempted to smuggle over 14,000 tramadol pills hidden in winter jackets on a flight to Italy. The suspect confessed to being recruited and paid 2,000 Euros to courier the drugs.
Moreover, a shipment of 157,800 bottles of codeine syrup worth more than ₦1.1 billion was seized at Port Harcourt Ports, hidden behind ceramic sanitary wares. NDLEA, alongside Customs and other security agencies, conducted the joint examination of the watch-listed container.
Cross River State also witnessed a significant seizure of 2,687 kilograms of skunk cannabis from a warehouse raid, while 287 kilograms were recovered from suspects arrested on the Bauchi–Jos road.
The NDLEA Marine Command recovered 560 kilograms of skunk from a wooden boat at Oniru beach, Lagos. At Maiduguri’s airport, two businessmen were arrested with ecstasy pills and cannabis disguised as sweets.
These operations underscore the NDLEA’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and protecting Nigeria’s borders from illicit substances.
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