NDLEA Arrests Businessman for Smuggling Cocaine at Lagos Airport, Excretes 68 Wraps Over 12 Days

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a businessman from Onitsha, Anambra State, who was found attempting to smuggle cocaine out of the country. The suspect, 36-year-old Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, excreted 68 wraps of cocaine after being placed under 12 days of observation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

According to a statement from the NDLEA, Ibeanusi was apprehended in the early hours of Thursday, August 8, 2024, at the old domestic terminal of the Lagos airport. He was about to board a flight to Abuja, where he was scheduled to connect to a Qatar Airways flight to Vietnam later that morning. The agency stated that he had arrived in Lagos from Onitsha the previous day, where he had lodged in a hotel before swallowing the 68 wraps of cocaine.

“Based on intelligence, the suspect came under NDLEA surveillance and was intercepted at the airport. He was placed in excretion observation, where he spent 12 days excreting the cocaine pellets, which weighed 1.282 kilograms,” the NDLEA revealed in the statement.

Ibeanusi’s arrest is part of a broader crackdown on drug trafficking by the NDLEA, which has seen several other arrests and seizures in recent weeks. Another Vietnam-bound businessman, 54-year-old Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, was arrested on August 12 at the Abuja airport during the outward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. Mbadugha, who had ingested cocaine, excreted 88 wraps of the illicit drug weighing 1.710 kilograms after four days under observation.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport intercepted a consignment of 1.20 kilograms of cannabis concealed in a package destined for Dubai, UAE. The consignment, which was sent through a courier company in Onitsha, led to the arrest of the sender, Aligbo Chukwudi Jacob, on August 17 after a series of follow-up operations.

The agency has also made significant strides in its efforts to combat drug trafficking across the country. On August 21, five female drug traffickers were arrested at the Seme border on their return from Ghana. The leader of the syndicate, 42-year-old Olaribigbe Bashirat Feyisara, and her associates were found with 14 packs of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden in their bodies.

Additionally, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos intercepted two containers from India, containing 1,596 cartons of codeine-based syrup, worth over N2.2 billion in street value. The joint operation with other port stakeholders resulted in the recovery of 319,200 bottles of the opioid.

In Edo State, two women were arrested for selling illicit drugs online. Martha Owotorofa, 26, was caught with quantities of Canadian Loud at Kada Plaza, Benin City, while 21-year-old Odion Uzordinma was arrested with cookies and cake laced with illicit substances.

The NDLEA’s efforts are part of its ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), which includes sensitization activities in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities across the country. In the past week, the agency conducted enlightenment lectures at various locations, including Dan Amus Sangaya School in Gombi, Adamawa State, and the Kaduna State School of Nursing.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers and men involved in these operations for their dedication and success in arresting suspects and seizing drugs. He encouraged them to maintain their efforts in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse across the nation.