By Saidu Idris
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have arrested a 40-year-old Madrid, Spain-based ‘businessman’, Sherif Egbo Ally, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris, France, with ingested illicit drugs.
A statement by NDLEA’s Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, October 22, revealed that Egbo was arrested on Saturday, October 14, after he was detected with wraps of illicit drugs in his stomach. He was subsequently placed under observation at the agency’s exhibit recovery room where he excreted 93 pellets of heroin weighing 2.222 kilogrammes.
According to the agency, the suspect claimed he works at a chicken hatchery farm in Madrid, Spain and also into drug trafficking business, in his statement.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO imports shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on seized a consignment of 10 cartons containing 500,000 pills of tramadol 225mg branded as tapentadol on October 16.
The cargo, which was shipped from India through Qatar Airways with airwaybill number MAWB 319-01227236 was purported to be a transit cargo to Monrovia, Liberia, but the lid was blown open through partnership and real time intelligence sharing mechanisms between NDLEA and its Liberian counterpart.
Another arrest was made of an intending passenger to Muscat, Oman on Qatar airways, Ngene Chinecherem Oscar, who was in the process of exporting 11.100kgs of skunk and 600 grams of tramadol concealed in foodstuffs through the Lagos airport.
In another operation, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, attached to courier companies on Sunday 15th October intercepted 1kg methamphetamine concealed in containers of body cream going to New Zealand, as well as another consignment of 2.5kgs cocaine and phenacetin hidden in walls of a carton heading to Saudi Arabia.
Two more seizures: 112grams of Dimethyl Sulfone and 583grams of cocaine and phenacetin were made at another courier company in Lagos on Wednesday, October 18. While the Dimethyl Sulfone was concealed in the hollow of a motor driving shaft going to New Zealand, the consignment of cocaine and phenacetin was packed into a bottle of body cream heading to Saudi Arabia.