July 05, (THEWILL) — A 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother and a Malaysia-based Nigerian PhD student have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in separate operations that uncovered sophisticated attempts to traffic cocaine concealed inside fake plantain peels and cartons of Orijin bitters.
THEWILL reports that the arrests, which formed part of a nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking syndicates, also led to multiple seizures of illicit drugs and the apprehension of several other suspects across the country.
The elderly woman, identified as Mrs Mary Yetunde Barek, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, after officers discovered 13 kilograms of cocaine ingeniously concealed inside fake plantain peels packed among food items in her luggage.
The second high-profile arrest involved Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, who was apprehended in Anambra State after NDLEA dismantled an international drug trafficking syndicate linked to a Malaysia-bound cocaine shipment hidden inside cartons of Orijin bitters.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Barek, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport on Sunday, June 28, while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
Babafemi said a painstaking search of the suspect’s luggage led to the recovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine weighing 13 kilograms.
The illicit drug had been specially packaged to resemble bunches of fresh plantain in what investigators described as an elaborate concealment strategy designed to beat airport security checks.
He said the suspect admitted ownership of the narcotics during interrogation.
In another major operation, NDLEA operatives uncovered an international cocaine trafficking network after intercepting a Malaysia-bound shipment containing 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms concealed inside the walls of nine cartons of Orijin bitters.
The suspicious consignment, which formed part of a consolidated cargo destined for Kuala Lumpur, triggered an extensive investigation that initially led to the arrest of four suspects in Lagos.
Those arrested included cargo agent Alalade Taiwo Azeez; Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi, the driver who transported the shipment; trader Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie of ASPANDA Market, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos, who allegedly handed the consignment to the driver; and Igwilo Chidi Henry, who allegedly supplied the specially modified Orijin bitters cartons used in concealing the cocaine.
NDLEA said sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance eventually led operatives to Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, where Onyeka was arrested during a sting operation on Monday, June 29.
Investigators identified the Malaysia-based doctoral student as the alleged leader of the trafficking syndicate. He was apprehended while hiding in his hometown of Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State.
Beyond the international drug busts, the agency recorded several major seizures across the country.
In Taraba State, operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested 30-year-old Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke on Saturday, July 4, along the Zaki-Biam-Wukari Road. Officers recovered 43,980 capsules of Tramadol concealed inside two specially fabricated vehicle fuel tanks as the suspect travelled from Onitsha, Anambra State.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA officers arrested Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, during a raid at Gwantu in Gwantu Local Government Area on Thursday, July 2, recovering 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Similarly, a 65-year-old suspect, Francis Ifara Eja, was arrested in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State on Saturday, July 4, after operatives recovered 231.7 kilograms of skunk from him.
In Plateau State, a 75-year-old suspect, Alhaji Babani, was apprehended on Friday, July 3, at Kurgwi in Qua’anpan Local Government Area with 15 kilograms of skunk.
The agency also recorded one of its biggest cannabis seizures of the week in Gombe State, where operatives arrested Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area on Wednesday, July 1.
The suspects were allegedly found in possession of 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms.
Aside from enforcement operations, NDLEA said it sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign through sensitisation programmes conducted in educational institutions, workplaces, places of worship, and communities.
Among schools visited during the week were Girls Secondary School, Abagana, Anambra State; Government Technical College, Obe, Enugu State; Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State; and the Federal College of Education Staff Demonstration School, Kabuga, Kano State.
Commending officers and men of the MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, and Gombe Commands for the successful operations, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised their commitment to reducing the supply of illicit drugs while simultaneously intensifying public enlightenment under the WADA campaign.
Marwa charged officers and personnel across all commands to sustain the momentum, strengthen intelligence-driven operations, and continue raising the agency’s operational standards in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse across the country.
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