The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two businessmen at the Abuja International Airport with consignment of cocaine and heroin going to Hong Kong and France concealed in their bellies.
While 38-year-old ThankGod Chimamkpa Emenike was arrested at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on 20th October during the outward clearance of passengers on Air France flight 818 to Paris, another passenger, Agbo Chidike Prince was taken into NDLEA custody the next day while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 950 to Hong Kong via Addis Ababa.
The spokesman of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said that “both suspects were arrested and detained after their body scan revealed they ingested illicit drugs. After days in custody and a number of excretions, Emenike excreted 72 wraps of heroin weighing 1.171 kilograms, while Chidike discharged 49 pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 998.53grams.
“In his statement, Chidike claimed he is a businessman dealing in spare parts at the Alaba International market in Ojo area of Lagos and added that he was to be paid N3.5million which he intended to use to import goods from Hong Kong.
“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos International Airport on 25th October intercepted a Qatar Airways flight passenger going to Oman, Agbo Celestine Tochukwu with a consignment of 58 parcels of skunk weighing 29.10kgs while undergoing processes to board his flight at the terminal 11 of the airport.
In his statement, Babafemi said, Tochukwu claimed he relocated to Oman in May and has been working as hotel attendant in Oman before venturing into drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, a total of 2,197 kilograms of skunk were recovered in four interdiction operations in parts of Ondo state within four days and while 1,165.5kgs were seized in Uso, Owo LGA on 25th October, a consignment of 691kgs were recovered from Ukugu forest in Ipele the previous day.
A suspect, Ifeanyi Abuguja was arrested with 87kgs of the same substance on 23rd October at Agula Road, Ogbese, Akure North LGA, while 253.5kgs were recovered at Ogbese market in Akure North LGA on 26th October.
In Oyo state, two suspects, Ayo Dele and Olaitan Ahmed were arrested with 160 grams of cannabis at a drug joint at Nalende area of Ibadan metropolis on 22nd October while a follow up operation at their warehouse in the same area led to the recovery of 332kgs of the same substance.
While operatives of the Lagos Command of the Agency intercepted and recovered a vehicle loaded with 209kgs of Loud at Okun Ajah area of the state on 23rd October, their counterparts in Gombe on 28th October recovered an abandoned consignment of 401 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 392kgs and 21,000 capsules of tramadol at Tumfure area of the state.
In the early hours of Sunday 29th October, the NDLEA spokesman said, operatives of the Agency in Edo state stormed the Utese forest in Ovia North East LGA, where they evacuated a total of 2, 931.3 kilograms of cannabis sativa from a warehouse in the forest.
While commending the officers and men of the Abuja, Lagos International airports, Ondo, Oyo, Lagos, Edo and Gombe States Commands for the arrests and seizures of the past week, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) urged them and their compatriots across all formations of the Agency to maintain the offensive tempo and strive to surpass previous records while maintaining a balance with their drug demand reduction efforts.
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