NDLEA Nabs Cocaine Dealer at Kano Airport, Foils Meth Smuggling in Yogurt and Speakers
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made significant strides in combating drug trafficking with multiple arrests and interceptions across Nigeria. In a major operation, a 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman, Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke, was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano while attempting to travel to China.
Cocaine Ingestion Case at Kano Airport
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Izueke was arrested on Saturday, January 31st, during the outward clearance of passengers bound for China via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940. When subjected to a body scan, he tested positive for ingesting illicit drugs and was immediately placed under excretion observation.
While under observation, the suspect, who claims to be involved in clothing and auto spare parts business in Lagos, expelled a total of 95 jumbo-sized wraps of cocaine in seven excretions. The cocaine weighed approximately 1.589 kilograms. In his statement, Izueke admitted that he resorted to drug trafficking to raise funds for completing a country home he is building in his village, Iwollo, Enugu State.
Methamphetamine Interceptions in Abuja and Taraba
In related developments, NDLEA operatives have intercepted methamphetamine consignments concealed in unconventional items. On Friday, February 6th, in Abuja, the agency foiled an attempt by Ebube Okeke, Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze, and Friday Michael to smuggle methamphetamine hidden in Mp3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna. The consignments were intercepted in a bus during a routine check.
A follow-up operation in Zuba, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), led to the arrest of Ebube Okeke, who owned one of the parcels containing 173 grams of meth. The trio of Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze, and Friday Michael were apprehended on Saturday, February 7th, in Kaduna when they arrived to collect a second consignment weighing 28 grams of meth.
Yogurt Pack Meth Seizure in Taraba
Additionally, on Friday, February 6th, NDLEA operatives at the Dan-anacha patrol point in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State intercepted a suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, aged 32. He was transporting packs of Hollandia Yogurt from Lagos to Mubi, Adamawa State. Acting on intelligence, officers searched the yogurt packs and discovered that some were used to conceal wraps of a white powdery substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine, weighing 1.8 kilograms.
In another operation, a total of 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, were recovered from a makeshift warehouse within Fums Plaza in Kubwa, FCT, highlighting the agency's ongoing efforts to dismantle drug networks across the country.
These operations underscore NDLEA's commitment to curbing drug trafficking through vigilant surveillance and intelligence-led interventions, as Nigeria continues to face challenges from illicit drug trade networks.
