The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made its largest-ever heroin seizure at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, intercepting 30.09kg of the drug valued at over ₦3 billion.
A 30-year-old Brazilian private security guard was apprehended on Friday, January 23, after arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Brazil.
In a statement released on Sunday sent to Persecondnews, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that the heroin was cleverly disguised within 21 factory-sealed coffee packets.
Upon inspection of the suspect’s two checked-in bags, officers discovered the white substance hidden inside the beverage packaging.
This record-breaking haul followed an intelligence-led operation by the agency.
“During her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the white heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays,” he said.
Meanwhile, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, Jan. 20 intercepted two passengers.
Babafemi said that they were heading to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight with a total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed in food items packed in their bags.
Similarly, operatives of the Marine Command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday, Jan. 22 intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud.
Babafemi said that the drugs, which was a strain of cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms and intercepted at the Jakande beach in Lekki, Lagos.
Babafemi said that the shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence stormed the location around 1am, recovered the consignment and the boat.
In another development, two suspects were on Friday, Jan. 23 arrested by NDLEA operatives in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna.
Babafemi said the bags were intercepted in a commercial bus along Kaduna- Zaria highway, Zaria.
He said one of the suspects was arrested at Karota park in Kano while the other was nabbed at Mando park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations.
“An intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA Kaduna on Thursday, Jan. 22 led to the arrest of two other suspected drug traffickers with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.”
According to the statement, all Commands and formations of the Agency nationwide, NDLEA officers continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week.
“These include WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Taraba state command of NDLEA conducts WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo.
“Also, the Osun command of NDLEA delivers a WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Beloved Montessori Group of Schools, Ede, Osun state. Owerri City Junior Secondary School, Owerri, Imo; Government Day Secondary School, Otukpo, Benue; and Darawa Primary School, Dutsinma, Katsina, among others.”
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