PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES
Emmanuel Okechuku Orjinze, a 48-year-old businessman travelling to Paris, has reportedly consumed 111 wraps of cocaine.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officials nabbed the suspect at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja, revealed that Orinze had excreted the substance after being under observation for days in the agency’s custody.
According to the statement, Okechukwu, who also claimed he was a professional footballer in Europe, was arrested on May 21 during the outward clearance of Airfrance flight AF 878 from Abuja to Paris, France.
“After a body scan confirmed he ingested illicit drugs, he was taken into custody, where he excreted a total of 111 pellets of cocaine that weighed 1.603 kilogrammes over a period of three days.
“The suspect claimed he does business in the maritime sector while still scouting for any European football club to engage him,” Babafemi said.
In the same vein, Babafemi said that NDLEA officers operating at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos, have dismantled another drug trafficking syndicate there.
He said this followed the arrest of four network members, as well as the seizure of a total of 8 kg of methamphetamine and 7.60 kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from South Africa.
The spokesman said that on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, NDLEA officers, with the support of Aviation Security officers, intercepted an official within the airport system with a backpack and a bag at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the airport, shattering the syndicate’s confidence.
He said a search of the bags led to the discovery of the illicit substances.
“A swift follow-up operation at the Ajao Estate area of Lagos led to the arrest of two other members of the syndicate: Chris Nwadozie and Chinedu Nwaosu. Further investigation led to the arrest of another member of the cartel working within the airport system on Saturday, May 25th,” Babafemi said.
He added that in a related development, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport have arrested a freight agent, Sonubi Mariam Abiodun, over her attempt to cargo eight parcels of cocaine weighing 2 kg concealed in three out of six paint buckets containing shea butter packaged for export to the United Kingdom on Wednesday, May 22nd.
The statement reads, “In another part of Lagos, precisely at Igbo Elerin in Ojo local government area, NDLEA officers arrested a suspect, Odumegwu Obijo, on Tuesday, May 21st, for producing and distributing skuchies, a mixture of black currant and illicit drugs.
“No fewer than 2,480 litres of the new psychoactive substance, NPS, were recovered from his clandestine factory when he was arrested.
“In Cross River State, while Ogar Emmanuel was arrested with 2.5 kg of cannabis at Ukpada Utugwan village, 29 sacks of the same substance weighing 290 kg were recovered from the warehouse of another suspect, Usani Ikpi, who is currently at large.
“Three suspects, Sa’adu Sule, 23; Mukhtar Nura, 23; and Hamza Nura, 18, were nabbed at Jabiri Funtua, Katsina State, on Friday, May 24th, with 129 blocks of cannabis weighing 70 kg coming from Ogere, Ogun State.
“No fewer than five suspects, including Ezekiel Munda, 30; and Sule Mustapha, 21, were arrested by NDLEA operatives on Thursday, May 23rd, during raids at Karu Abattoir, Jikwoyi, and Tora Bora Hill areas of FCT, Abuja, where 95.01 kg of cannabis and different quantities of opioids were recovered from them.”
Babafemi also said that in Edo State, operatives arrested a person with disabilities and notorious drug dealer, Zekere Sufianu, 45, at Auchi town on Wednesday, May 22nd.
He stated that Sufianu had 751 grammes of Loud, 178 grammes of tramadol, and Winol pills at the time of his arrest.
“In like manner, the various commands of the agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week.
Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture for students and teachers of Baptist Grammar School, Iresi, Osun; students and teachers of Anwar-Ul-Islam Grammar School, Eleyele, Ibadan, Oyo State; students of Shalom Secondary School, Saminaka, Kaduna; students of Government Day Secondary School, Gandu, Gombe; students of Pakoto Senior High School, Ifo, Ogun State; students of Nwafor-Orizu Demonstration Secondary School, Awka, Anambra; and muslim faithful at Central Mosque, Abudu, Orhionmwon LGA, Edo State.
“While commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, FCT, Lagos, Cross River, Katsina, and Edo Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures,” the statement said.
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