By Uche AmunikeThe National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a drug trafficker at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport with 350 wraps of cocaine worth N2.3 billion naira.
This was made known by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, Wednesday in Abuja.
Mr Babafemi said that the 38year old drug trafficker, Mr Okey Eze was arrested on Wednesday September 22nd during passengers clearance inflight on Ethiopian Airline flight number 911 and route Bamako-Addis Ababa-Abuja.
The suspect is claimed to be a tiler by profession and hails from Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu state.
The drugs which weighed 7.70 kilograms was hidden in right stashes and hidden in different parts of his luggage
Mr Babafemi stated that Eze resides in Bamako, Mali and that he informed operatives in his confessional statement that he travelled to Mali through Seme Border in Badagry, Lagos state in 2019.
According to him, he came into Nigeria with the drugs in order to raise money with which to take care of the children of his late elder brother’s four children. He added that he begged his friend who resides in Brazil to help him raise some money. He however declined but instead told him to collect a bag containing the drugs from a friend of his who was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He told him that if he successfully delivered it to the person whose contact would be sent to him when he , Nigeria, he will be paid the sum of N500,000 naira.
The bag, he said, contained the drugs given to him on that Wednesday morning at the airport at Addis Ababa.
Mr Babafemi quoted NDLEA Chairman, Rtd Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa as giving the Commander, officers and men of the command a pat on the back for their dedication, passion and vigilance. He assured that the new NDLEA under his leadership will continue to deal with the various cartels trying to turn the country into a place for peddling illicit drugs.
Recall that months back, Cocaine weighing 27.95 kilograms worth N8million naira was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.
The suspect, Ejiofor Felix Enwere used an organized criminal gang that were known for tagging and planting drugs in the luggage of Innocent travelers.
Unfortunately for the suspect, narcotic agents used intelligence to sniff out the bag and the NDLEA promptly secured it for investigation.
A man came to the airport to enquire about how to get the disclaimed bag released and was immediately arrested. On opening the bag, right before the arriving passenger and the man who came to negotiate the release of the bag in question, it was realized that the bag contained 36 blocks of cocaine which weighed 27.95 kilograms.
It was the follow-up sting operation that led to the arrest of Ejiofor Felix Enwereaku, when he arrived from Addis Ababa on board Ethiopian airline.
He was later to confess that an Ethiopian associate of his who is a known drug Baron contracted him to claim and push out the consignment in Lagos, Nigeria.
