NDLEA seizes cocaine worth over N30 billion at Lagos airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made huge seizures of cocaine and heroin with street value of over N30 billion in Lagos State.

The drugs were intercepted in three major busts carried out at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport between January 24 and January 27, 2021.

The agency said in a statement on Tuesday, February 2, that one of the busts was the biggest single seizure from an individual in the past 15 years.

A female passenger, Onyejegbu Ifesinachi Jennifer, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives when she landed at the airport from Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 27.

A thorough search of the 33-year-old's two travel bags revealed 26.850 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside 16 pieces of duvet.

The suspect, a hair stylist based in Brazil, reportedly confessed that she agreed to smuggle the drugs for the sum of N2 million, but refused to name her associates.

The street value of the cocaine seized from Jennifer was pegged at over N21 billion.

Two days before the successful seizure, an abandoned luggage at the airport raised eyebrows and resulted in the detention of the bag which had arrived from from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

One Abubakar Aliyu later tried to retrieve the bag on January 27, and was arrested in a sting operation by the NDLEA.

His arrest led to the apprehension of Emmanuel Iyke Aniebonam, and Onwurah Kelvin but the original intended receiver of the bag, one Ikechukwu Eze, remains at large.

8.400 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of over N7 billion, were neatly concealed inside five children duvet covers when the bag was opened in the presence of the suspects.

The third bust by the NDLEA involved one Edosa Christopher who was arrested on January 24 after a body scan showed he had ingested hard drugs.

The suspect was placed on excretion observation, and later excreted 68 wraps of heroine weighing 950 grams.

The suspect confessed to buying the substance for N800,000, but the remaining details of his confession were unreliable.