NDLEA Arrests Brazil Returnees with 116 Wraps of Heroin, Cocaine in Lagos

By Oluwakemi Kindness

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two Brazil returnees at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for ingesting a combined 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine.

One of the suspects, 46-year-old Ofoma Sunday, was intercepted on September 16 upon arrival from Brazil via Ethiopia.

A body scan confirmed drug ingestion, and under observation he excreted 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.452 kilograms.

A statement on Sunday issued by the spokesperson of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said a follow-up operation led to the arrest of 55-year-old Nweke Jude Chuckwudi at a hotel in Amuwo Odofin, where he was designated to receive the drugs.

Similarly, on September 19, 40-year-old Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu was arrested during inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Brazil.

He excreted five large wraps of cocaine weighing 145 grams after admitting he had inserted nine wraps in Brazil but lost some during transit due to severe anal pain.

In a related operation, NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport arrested a businesswoman, Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa, for attempting to smuggle 1.40 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in her underwear while boarding a Qatar Airways flight to Doha.

At the NAHCO export shed, another suspect, Umelo Ifeanyi Venatus, was caught with 2.3 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in food items bound for Hong Kong.

Further seizures during the week included 257 grams of cocaine concealed in phone chargers bound for New Zealand, 233,800 tramadol pills recovered in Adamawa, 1,099.4 kilograms of cannabis in Zamfara, and the destruction of over four hectares of cannabis farms in Edo State.

NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers for their efforts, stressing that the Agency would sustain its balanced approach of law enforcement and sensitization to curb drug trafficking and abuse.

“These arrests and seizures represent a significant milestone in our determined effort to dismantle drug trafficking organizations and protect our youth from the dangers of illicit substances,” Marwa said.