The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a China based businessman and two Angolan nationals who excreted a total of 236 wraps of cocaine at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The suspects were apprehended during separate operations carried out by operatives of the agency as part of ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking across the country.
According to the agency, the suspects ingested the illicit substances before embarking on their trips but were intercepted on arrival by anti narcotic officers. They were placed under observation during which they excreted the cocaine pellets. The NDLEA said the arrests were based on credible intelligence and sustained surveillance at the airports.
In a related development, the agency intercepted a consignment of cocaine bound for London. Investigations revealed that the shipment was allegedly orchestrated from a correctional facility in Lagos by a convicted drug kingpin. The NDLEA said the suspect had been coordinating the illegal operation from prison before the plot was uncovered and foiled by its officers.
Operatives also discovered Canadian Loud concealed inside a children’s toy guitar during a routine cargo inspection. The illicit drug was carefully packaged to evade detection but was uncovered by vigilant officers. The agency reiterated that traffickers are increasingly adopting new concealment methods in a bid to beat security checks.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives uncovered a Colos production factory in the Lekki area of Lagos, where large quantities of the psychoactive substance were being produced. The agency said the factory has been dismantled and suspects connected to the illegal operation are currently under investigation as it intensifies its crackdown on drug trafficking networks nationwide.