The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Nwankwo Onyebuchi, with 1.550kg of cocaine concealed inside the walls and railings of his luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying Onyebuchi was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi, India.
According to Babafemi, a search of the suspect’s check-in luggage revealed the cocaine, which had been factory-fitted into the walls and railings of the bag.
Onyebuchi, a marble dealer in Lagos, reportedly told investigators that he sold his business and other assets to raise N23 million to purchase the consignment, which he hoped to sell in India for as much as N100 million.
Babafemi said the suspect remained in custody pending prosecution. In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives also seized 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at more than N2.6 billion in Lagos.
The agency said the operation followed intelligence and was conducted between August 7 and 8 at a warehouse located inside a residential compound at 20 Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos.
Hadizat Giwa