The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested an intending air passenger, Okonkwo Chimezie Henry, who wraps of cocaine worth N423 million.
NDLEA arrested Okonkwo at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos on Easter Day, Sunday, 4th April, 2021, where he was headed for Madrid, Spain.
Following his arrest, he was kept under watch, and he subsequently excreted 113 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.750 kg.
Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA, Headquarters, Abuja, announced this in a statement in Abuja on Friday.
“Okonkwo was about boarding a Turkish Airline flight number TK0626 at about 8 pm when he was apprehended at screening 2 point and taken into custody by the NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport. He was subsequently put under observation at the JBTF/NDLEA facility for further investigation,” Babafemi said.
“Twenty-four hours after putting him under excretion observation, the suspect, who has been living in Spain for 10 years, excreted 39 wraps of cocaine and subsequently passed out a total of 113 wraps in five excretions. Further investigation reveals he ingested the illicit drug in a hotel in the Igando area of Lagos.”
Ahmadu Garba, the Commander, MMIA Command of the NDLEA, was also quoted by the statement as saying that “the suspect excreted 39 wraps weighing 600 grammes at 9.58 am on April 5; 13 wraps weighing 200 grammes at 6.30 pm same day; 16 wraps weighing 250 grammes at 10.30 pm same day; and 32 wraps weighing 500 grammes at 7.30 am on April 6.”
Similarly, operatives at the airport also intercepted a 2.8kg of skunk meant for Dubai in UAE through Emirate Airline, Babafemi said.
“The illicit drug was concealed in crayfish, bitter leaves and melons packaged in a sackbut was recovered at the SAHCO export shed of the MMIA,” he explained.
