Two suspected drug kingpins have been apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in separate operations at Nigerian airports.
One suspect, identified as Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, 30, also known as Kargbo Mohamed Foday, was arrested at Port Harcourt International Airport on February 2nd after arriving from Doha.
A body scan according to the spokesperson for NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi in a statement revealed he had ingested drugs, and he subsequently excreted 62 wraps of heroin weighing 1.348 kilograms.
Investigations indicate Sylvanus used dual identities to facilitate drug trafficking between Asia and West Africa and claimed to have entered the drug trade after his clothing business failed.
The second suspect, James Herbert Chinoso, 48, was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on February 1st upon arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa.
He also tested positive for ingested drugs and excreted 63 wraps of heroin weighing 909 grams.
He reportedly traveled to Madagascar on January 26th and claimed his phone accessories business in Liberia collapsed, leading him to drug trafficking.
In other operations, Mr. Babafemi says, its operatives intercepted two parcels of “Loud,” a synthetic cannabis strain, weighing 2.82 kilograms at a Lagos courier firm.
Another 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection were seized at a different logistics company in Lagos, concealed in cartons destined for Canada.
In Kano, two men were arrested on February 3rd with over 15,000 tramadol pills hidden in a gas cylinder, and a woman was apprehended with 15kg of skunk.
While in Kogi State, NDLEA officers intercepted a consignment of 12,800 tramadol pills and 65 parcels of Colorado cannabis weighing 1.6kg, both destined for Jigawa State, and arrested two suspects.