NDLEA arrests suspects, seizes hard drugs in many operations

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted large consignments of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, skunk, and opioids in multiple operations across Nigeria, including at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and in several northern states.

In a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the Agency said two returnees from Brazil excreted a total of 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine after days in observatory custody, while other suspects were caught concealing drugs in unusual ways, including in underwear, food items, and phone chargers.

According to the Agency, 46-year-old Ofoma Sunday was arrested on Tuesday, September 16, at Terminal 2 of MMIA on arrival from Brazil via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A body scan confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs. He later excreted 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.452 kg in eight batches.

A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 55-year-old Nweke Jude Chuckwudi at a hotel in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, where he was meant to oversee the recovery of the drugs. Similarly, another Brazilian returnee, Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, was arrested at the Lagos airport on Friday, September 19, during the clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers.