In a significant operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully apprehended a Brazil returnee attempting to evade arrest by feigning illness and subsequently excreting a staggering 60 wraps of cocaine.
Director of Media & Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, Femi Babafemi provided this information on Sunday, January 28th, 2024. He said This arrest was made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos. Simultaneously, the NDLEA seized a substantial quantity of 599,900 tramadol pills from Pakistan.
Udechukwu Ekene Theophilus, the Brazil returnee, was apprehended during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Initially refusing a body scan, Theophilus, in a desperate attempt to avoid arrest, raised health concerns. Subsequently, he accepted an alternative option and was placed under excretion observation. During this process, he excreted 60 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.279 kilograms in total. The suspect claimed to have ingested the contraband in Brazil, intending to discharge it at the airport in Addis Ababa.
In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives recovered twelve cartons of tramadol 225mg, comprising 599,900 pills weighing 385.40kg. The tramadol shipment had arrived in the country in two batches on KLM Royal Dutch Airline flights from Karachi, Pakistan, between July 27th and August 1st, 2023. The consignment had been under NDLEA watch since its arrival.
Operatives of the Seme Special Area Command of NDLEA also made significant seizures, recovering 822 kilograms of cannabis sativa hidden in a fuel station along the Badagry-Seme road. Additionally, arrests were made in various states, including Jigawa, Yobe, Kogi, Kano, and Plateau, resulting in the apprehension of individuals with significant quantities of cannabis.
An ex-beauty queen, Ms. Aderinoye Queen Christmas, has been declared wanted by the NDLEA. She managed to escape when operatives raided her residence in Lekki, Lagos, following credible intelligence linking her to illicit drug activities. Items recovered from her residence include 606 grams of Canadian Loud, an electronic weighing scale, large quantities of drug packaging materials, a black RAV 4 SUV, and her picture frame.
The NDLEA also arrested members of an international drug trafficking syndicate, Sunday Michael Owoborode and Valentine Anene, in Ogun state. Another arrest was made in Lagos, where Sunday Adediran was found with 20kg of cannabis sativa in his house.
The NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign, conducting sensitization lectures and advocacy visits across various states in the country. Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the exemplary efforts of officers and men across multiple commands for their achievements in the past week.
