Vietnam-Bound Businessman Arrested in Abuja After Excreting 88 Cocaine Wraps

A 54-year-old businessman, Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, was arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after authorities discovered he had ingested 88 wraps of cocaine. The arrest occurred on August 12, 2024, as Mbadugha prepared to board a Qatar Airways flight bound for Hanoi, Vietnam, via Doha.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) revealed that Mbadugha was intercepted during the outward clearance process at the airport. Following his arrest, he was placed under observation for four days, during which he excreted the cocaine wraps with a total weight of 1.710 kilograms.

In his statement, Mbadugha claimed to be a businessman based in Lagos. He admitted that a friend in the Isolo area of Lagos State gave him the cocaine pellets to swallow for delivery in Vietnam. He was promised a payment of $2,000 for the job.

Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA, disclosed the details of Mbadugha’s arrest in a statement on Sunday. Babafemi also highlighted several other significant drug seizures and arrests made by the agency across Nigeria.

At Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted 800 grams of cannabis hidden in noodles destined for Congo. In another operation at the same airport, a large consignment of synthetic cannabis, known as “Loud,” weighing 65.80 kilograms, was recovered. The suspect, Desalu Taophic Temitope, who was promised $10,000 for the delivery, was arrested during a joint examination by security agencies.

The NDLEA also conducted a major bust at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Rivers State, where 892,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup, valued at N6.24 billion, were seized. The bottles were packed in 5,337 cartons and shipped in five containers from India. The seizure was made during a joint examination involving the Nigeria Customs Service and other port stakeholders.

In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives, supported by the Nigerian Army and local youths, destroyed 21,800 kilograms of cannabis sativa on a 20-hectare farmland in the Ise forest reserve. In Enugu State, 200.2 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from a bus, and the driver was arrested.

The agency also made significant drug seizures in Kano, Ogun, Abuja, Niger, and Kogi States. In Kano, 145,400 pills of tramadol were seized, and two suspects were arrested. In Ogun, a cannabis plantation spanning six hectares was raided, leading to the arrest of four suspects. In Abuja, 30,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered from a truck, and three suspects were apprehended. Additionally, in Niger State, 28,500 pills of tramadol concealed in a loudspeaker were seized, and in Kogi State, 40,000 tramadol pills were intercepted.

Babafemi emphasized the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and its commitment to bringing drug offenders to justice. “These operations demonstrate our resolve to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs and their devastating impact on our society,” he stated.