One Udogwu Johnson, a passenger on Qatar Airways flight from GRU in Brazil, was on Friday arrested at the ‘D’ arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, with nine wraps of cocaine weighing 300 grams in his pants.
Also, an Uber driver and two other suspected traffickers have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with different quantities of cocaine at the airport.
The Uber driver, Lawal Rasheed, was said to have been arrested at the SAHCO export shed of the MMIA on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, when he brought a consignment from his client to a freight forwarder for export to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.
A statement on Sunday by the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said when the package was searched, 150 grams of cocaine concealed inside two pieces of air freshener were discovered.
According to him, a follow-up operation the following day led to the arrest of Egbo Maduka in his residence.
“Investigations have so far confirmed that Egbo is behind the two seizures of 50 grams of cocaine in hair attachment and another 150 grams of cocaine concealed in air freshener, heading for Malabo. The seizures were made on June 4 and 8, 2021, respectively,” Babafemi said.
Similarly, a 27-year-old final year Petroleum Engineering student of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Ali Mohammed, was arrested with 3.032kg of cannabis sativa at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos, on Thursday, June 10, 2021, following a tip-off.
Under interrogation, Ali, who hails from Nguru, Yobe State, but was brought up in Lagos, claimed that while on his way to the motor park in Iddo from Obalende, where he lives, he met an acquaintance, Ahmed, who upon learning that he was travelling to Bauchi via Kano, implored him to help deliver a travel bag containing the seized 3.032kg of cannabis sativa to one Ugo, who lives in Sabon Gari, Kano.
Ahmed allegedly told the suspect that he would send Ugo’s phone number to him through SMS to facilitate the delivery of the consignment in Kano.
The suspect, who admitted knowing that the bag contained drugs, however, denied receiving or being promised any form of gratification for agreeing to take the substance to Kano.
The Chairman/Chief Executive, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the MMIA and Lagos State commands of the agency for the feats and charged the officers and men of the two commands not to rest on their laurels.
He asked them to remain vigilant and intensify the ongoing offensive action against drug cartels in their areas of responsibility.
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