Abuja: Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled two bizarre plots by suspected drug traffickers. The suspects tried to move consignments of cocaine and opioids in Kano and Lagos States, respectively.
A statement by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, was issued to reporters in Abuja on Sunday. It said that the drugs were concealed in the suspects’ stomachs and a fake baby bump.
Babafemi said that the drugs were to be moved through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano. He added that the Seme land border in Lagos was also involved, with drugs destined for Europe and other destinations.
Highlighting the breakdown, Babafemi stated that a 35-year-old Kano-based businesswoman was intercepted by NDLEA officials at the departure tarmac of the Seme land border.
He said that the suspect, who had a protruding tummy, was nabbed on Monday while attempting to cross to Cotonou in the Benin Republic.
According to him, however, a full-body search revealed the absurd.
“Her pregnancy was fake, and her baby bump was designed with a pink coloured calabash.
The suspect used the fake bump to conceal 3,200 capsules of tramadol. She tied them around her stomach and was taking them to Cotonou to sell,” he explained.
Similarly, on the same day in Kano, Babafemi said that the NDLEA operatives at the screening point of the departure hall of MAKIA intercepted a 41-year-old Ivorian drug suspect.
He said the arrest occurred during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan, Malpensa, via Addis Ababa.
“When he was taken for a body scan, the result confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.
“Due to this, he was placed under observation, eventually excreting 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms.
“The suspect had arrived in Lagos from Milan on January 17 and was shuttling from Lagos to Enugu for three weeks.
“He later travelled to Kano, where he stayed for a week, before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room.
“He is expected to be paid 5,000 Euros when he delivers the drugs in Milan,”he said.
Babafemi added that the suspect, who hails from Rue du Cessne Avenue 13, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, claimed that his father is an Ivorian, while his mother is from Anunwa compound, Urunnebo village, Ukwan in Enugu State.
He added that the suspect applied for asylum in Italy in 2013 and obtained a resident permit, which would expire on May 25, while processing a Nigerian National Identification Number (NIN) under a different name.
