Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 62-year-old Lagos businessman, Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport after he excreted 95 jumbo-sized wraps of cocaine.
Izueke was intercepted on Saturday, January 31, during the outward clearance of passengers travelling to China via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
The NDLEA stated that when taken for a body scan, he tested positive for ingesting an illicit drug and was placed under observation. While under watch, the suspect, who claims to be in the clothing and auto spare parts business, expelled a total of 95 pellets of cocaine in seven excretions, weighing 1.589 kilograms.
In his statement, Izueke claimed he decided to engage in drug trafficking to raise enough money to complete a country home he is building in his village, Iwollo, Enugu State.
In other operations across the country, the agency reported several significant seizures:
– In the Federal Capital Territory, 627.7 kilograms of skunk (a cannabis strain) were recovered from a makeshift warehouse in Kubwa.
– An attempt to smuggle methamphetamine concealed in Mp3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna was foiled on Friday, February 6, leading to multiple arrests.
– In Taraba State, a suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, 32, was intercepted at a patrol point conveying packs of Hollandia Yogurt from Lagos to Adamawa. A search revealed 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside some yogurt packs.
– In Oyo State, a Beninoise, Shuaibu Abdulrahman, 29, was arrested with 149.6kg of skunk concealed in rice shafts. Separately, in Ibadan, a major drug kingpin, Jimoh Nurudeen, 40, who operated a facility producing synthetic cannabis (Colorado), was arrested along with an accomplice. Items recovered included precursor chemicals, monetary exhibits, and two vehicles.
– In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a fuel tanker conveying petrol from Lagos to Maiduguri. A search led to the recovery of 395,400 capsules of tramadol concealed in parts of the truck.
– In Imo State, a couple, Izuchukwu Azubuike, 37, and Ifunaya Mmadueke, 32, were arrested with 203kg of skunk.
– In Ondo State, 420kg of skunk was recovered from a bush.
– At the Lagos marine command, 31 wraps of cocaine hidden in a handbag were seized from a suspect arriving from Côte d’Ivoire.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved and urged them to maintain their professionalism in both drug supply and demand reduction activities. The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization programs in schools, worship centers, and communities nationwide.
