NDLEA makes largest cocaine seizure at Port Harcourt airport

The Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that 39-year-old Nnanna Michael returning from Brazil was arrested during the inward screening of passengers on board Qatar Airline flight QR1433 from Doha to Port Harcourt on Tuesday, March 29.

Babafemi said the suspect, who hailed from Ekwusigo, Anambra State was arrested with 73 sachets weighing 8.15 kilograms of cocaine.

This, he said was the largest seizure of such at the airport, since it began international flight operations years ago.

According to him, during the preliminary interview, Michael said that he departed Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday at midnight en route from Qatar to Port Harcourt.

“He claimed that an unidentified person in Sao Paulo gave him six-bed sheets in which the drug was concealed to deliver to another unidentified person at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

“The 73 cocaine sachets were hidden in 4×1 feet factory sewn colourful bed sheets. Five of the bed sheets contain 12 sachets each, while the sixth bed sheet contains 13 sachets.

“An immediate follow-up operation led to the arrest of 50-year-old Monday Alaisu, who traveled from Lagos to pick the drug from Nnenna.

“He was arrested at the airport’s car park where he was waiting to receive Nnenna with the latter’s photograph taken at the Brazilian airport and his international passport’s Data Page in his hand,“ Babafemi said.

In another development, Babafemi said that 17.6kilograms of cannabis was transferred along with a suspect, Ramon Dauda, 40, to the state command of NDLEA by the Oyo/Osun Area Command of Nigerian Customs Service.

This is even just as narcotic officers on patrol on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Thursday, March 31 intercepted a consignment of 10kg cannabis and 12.1grams of amphetamine in a commercial bus.

“A follow-up operation in Ilesa, Osun state led to the arrest of the owner of the drug exhibits, Mrs Remi Aluko, 44,” he said.

Babafemi said that at least seven drug dealers were arrested in raids in parts of Kano with 80 kilograms of codeine and pentazocine injection seized from them.

“Those picked in Rijiyar Zaki, Brigade, Yan-Kaba, Tudun Wada, Karfi, Ungogo, and Nasarawa areas of the state include Muhammad Adamu; Abba Sani; and Auwalu Muhammad, among others,” he said.

The NDLEA spokesperson quoted the Chairman; NDLEA retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa as commending the officers and Men of PHIA, Oyo, and Kano Commands of the agency.