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Recovers 22.6kg Cocaine, Meth, Others
- Safiu Kehinde
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an ex-international football player, Segun Hunkarin, along with his business partner, Ntoruka Chinedu, over alleged attempt to smuggle a consignment of cocaine into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport,(MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, Chinedu who is a frequent flyer known for conveying clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey, was the first to be arrested upon his arrival at the Lagos airport on the 24th June 2025.
Following a search on his carry-on bag, 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800grams were discovered from him.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was coming from Turkey on Ethiopian Airlines flight but transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria.
Further probe on his accomplice and recipient of the consignment turned out to be the former professional footballer, Segun Hunkarin.
The ex-footballer was reportedly waiting for Chinedu at the airport carpark to collect the consignment from him.
Hunkarin who had stayed years in Brazil playing for football clubs was promptly tracked and arrested at the carpark.
According to Babafemi, Hunkarin, in his statement, claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia but has never brought any to Nigeria.
In the same vein, another Europe-based businessman, Okoro Godstime was on Friday arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport while attempting to traffic 5,000 pills of tramadol 225mg.
The drug was concealed in containers of known malaria drugs such as Lonart, Amatem and Aluktem to Spain.
Okoro was intercepted at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the airport during the outward clearance of passengers on Royal Air Maroc flight to Spain through Casablanca.
The said businessman who is into freight and logistics business between Europe and Nigeria claimed that on his arrival in Spain, he would to a train to France where he resides and from there send the tramadol consignment to Italy for retailing.
Also on Friday, NDLEA operatives attached to Enugu state zone had at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), intercepted one Ezenwaka Emmanuel, a Mozambique-based bar attendant.
A search of his luggage led to the discovery of 17 cardboard size parcels of methamphetamine weighing 17.500 kilograms and three parcels of cocaine weighing 3.050 kilograms.
The 38-year-old suspect was reportedly coming from Johannesburg, South Africa via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Ethiopian Airlines flight when he was interdicted and subjected to a search during which the illicit drugs concealed in bedsheets packed in his bags were discovered.
Also arrested on the same Ethiopian Airlines flight was a 54-year-old Azu Kpodar.
Azu, who arrived from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was found with a liquid soap plastic container marked YPE.
The substance was promptly taken for analysis at the NDLEA forensic and chemical laboratory, Enugu where the substance tested positive to cocaine.
The substance which turned out to be liquid cocaine weighed 1.250kg.
The suspect who is a toy seller in Brinquedo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, claimed he purchased the substance while shopping for his wedding ceremony in Nigeria.