Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled separate attempts by two suspected drug traffickers to smuggle cocaine and opioids through Kano and Lagos states.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, a 35-year-old businesswoman was intercepted at the Seme land border in Lagos while attempting to cross into Cotonou, Benin Republic.
The agency said the suspects were attempting to traffic cocaine and opioids through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) and the Seme land border, with Europe listed as the primary destination.
Babafemi said the suspect, who appeared pregnant, was arrested on Monday during routine checks. A detailed body search later revealed that the pregnancy was fake.
According to the NDLEA, the woman’s baby bump was artificially constructed with a pink-coloured calabash and used to conceal 3,200 capsules of tramadol strapped around her abdomen. The drugs were intended for sale in Cotonou.
In a related operation on the same day, NDLEA operatives arrested a 41-year-old Ivorian national at the departure screening area of MAKIA while processing passengers for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 bound for Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa.
Babafemi said the suspect tested positive for ingestion of illicit drugs during a body scan and was placed under medical observation. He subsequently excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms.
Preliminary investigations showed that the suspect arrived in Lagos from Milan on January 17 and moved between Lagos and Enugu for three weeks before travelling to Kano, where he stayed for about a week. He allegedly ingested the cocaine in his hotel room ahead of his departure.
The NDLEA said the suspect was to be paid 5,000 euros upon successful delivery of the drugs in Milan.
Babafemi added that the suspect, who resides in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, claimed his father is Ivorian while his mother is from Anunwa compound, Urunnebo village, Ukwan, in Enugu State.
He further disclosed that the suspect applied for asylum in Italy in 2013 and obtained a resident permit due to expire on May 25, while allegedly processing a Nigerian National Identification Number under a different identity.