By Michael Olugbode
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 48-year-old Paris-bound businessman, Emmanuel Okechuku Orjinze, for ingesting 111 wraps of cocaine.
He excreted after days of observation in the agency’s custody following his arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
A statement yesterday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, said Okechukwu, who also claimed to be a professional footballer in Europe, was arrested last Tuesday during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 from Abuja to Paris.
He said after a body scan confirmed he ingested illicit drugs, he was taken into custody where he excreted a total of 111 pellets of cocaine that weighed 1.603 kilogrammes over a period of three days.
Babafemi said the suspect claimed he does business in the maritime sector while still scouting for any European football club to engage him. NDLEA officers operating at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos in another clampdown dismantled another drug trafficking syndicate at the airport.
According to Babafemi, this followed the arrest of four members of the network and the seizure of a total of 8 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and 7.6 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from South Africa.
He revealed that the lid was blown off the syndicate when an official within the airport system was intercepted with a backpack and a bag at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the airport by NDLEA officers with the support of Aviation Security officers last Tuesday, with a search of the bags leading to the discovery of the illicit substances.
He said a swift follow-up operation at Ajao Estate area of Lagos led to the arrest of two other members of the syndicate: Chris Nwadozie and Chinedu Nwaosu.
Babafemi noted that further investigation led to the arrest of another member of the cartel working within the airport system last Saturday.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport have arrested a freight agent, Sonubi Abiodun over her attempt to cargo eight parcels of cocaine weighing 2 kilogrammes concealed in three out of six paint buckets containing Shea butter packaged for export to the United Kingdom last Wednesday.
In Igbo Elerin in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State, NDLEA officers on May 21 arrested a suspect, Odumegwu Obijofor, who was producing and distributing skuchies, a mixture of black currant and illicit drugs. Babafemi added that no fewer than 2,480 litres of the New Psychoactive Substance (NPS), were recovered from his clandestine factory when he was arrested.
In Cross River state, while Ogar Emmanuel was arrested with 2.5 kilogrammes of cannabis at Ukpada Utugwan village, 29 sacks of the same substance weighing 290 kilogrammes were recovered from the warehouse of another suspect, Usani Ikpi, who is currently at large. Three suspects: Sa’adu Sule, 23; Mukhtar Nura, 23; and Hamza Nura, 18, were nabbed at Jabiri Funtua, Katsina state last Friday with 129 blocks of cannabis weighing 70 kilogrammes coming from Ogere, Ogun State.
The spokesman added that no fewer than five suspects, including Ezekiel Munda, 30; and Sule Mustapha, 21, were arrested by NDLEA operatives on May 23 during raids at Karu Abattoir, Jikwoyi and Tora Bora hill area of Abuja, where 95.01 kilogrammes of cannabis and different quantities of opioids were recovered from them.
In Edo State, operatives arrested a physically challenged alleged notorious drug dealer, Zekere Sufianu, 45, in Auchi town on May 22. At the time of his arrest, he was found with 751 grammes of Loud, 178 grammes of tramadol and pills of swinol.
He revealed that the various commands of the agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week.
Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, FCT, Lagos, Cross River, Katsina, and Edo State Commands of the agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), equally applauded their counterparts in all the Commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.