The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reportedly arrested a Brazilian returnee, Igwedum Uche Benson, at the arrival hall of the Lagos Airport with pellets of cocaine concealed in his private part.
Igwedum was arrested on 20th June 2022 upon his arrival on Ethiopian Airlines from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa.
The spokesman of the Agency, Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday the 26th of June 2022 that, preliminary investigations revealed that, the suspect had swallowed 50 wraps of cocaine before departing Brazil and excreted 48 pellets in Addis Ababa where he handed them over to another person.
The suspect however claimed he was unable to excrete the remaining two wraps at the hotel room in Addis Ababa before boarding his flight but later excreted them in the aircraft restroom during the flight from Ethiopia to Lagos.
In the same vein, after three weeks of painstaking investigation and tracking, operatives of the Lagos Airport command of the NDLEA on Saturday the 25th of June 2022, arrested a drug kingpin, Onyekachi Chukwuma Macdonald behind attempts to export 40 parcels of Methamphetamine locally known as Mkpuru Mmiri to London, United Kingdom through the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport.
Onyekachi was arrested at Manacola estate, Alakuko area of Lagos at the weekend, three weeks after his Mkpuru Mmiri consignment weighing 2.05kilograms was intercepted at the airport and his freight agent, Peter Christopher Anikan arrested on 7th June.
“During his interview, the suspect said he is from Ahiazu, Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo state and had lived in Dubai, UAE for 10 years before returning to Nigeria in 2019. He stated that after his return to
Nigeria he opened a phone accessories shop in Sango Otta, Ogun state but the business collapsed. He then started sending cigarettes to London and decided to conceal the illicit drug in the consignment after advice from a friend”.
Closely related is the seizure of another consignment of 2kg Mkpuru Mmiri at a courier house in Owerri, Imo state. The cargo seized on Wednesday 22nd June had Ankara and lace fabrics in which two cylindrical cellophane containing the drug heading to Hong Kong were concealed.
By Adekunle Biodun