NDLEA Intercepts 200kg of Hard Drugs at Lagos, Abuja, Kano Airports

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Attempts by some defiant traffickers to export hard drugs through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano have been foiled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), who seized 200 kilogrammes of the illicit substances from them.

Spokesman of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi said in a statement yesterday that at the Lagos airport, a 41-year-old Adewuyi Olayinka was arrested while trying to export 650 grammes of cocaine wrapped in two parcels to the United Kingdom through the SAHCO export shed of the MMIA cargo, Ikeja.

The statement quoted the Commander, MMIA Command of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Garba, as saying that the drug was concealed in dry local pepper and herbal concoction popularly called ‘agbo’

In the same vein, 107 kilogrammes of hard drug suspected to be Khat has been seized at the cargo shed of the Kano airport while being exported to Canada. According to the Acting Commander, MAKIA Command of the NDLEA, Mr. Mohammed Ajiya, “the drug, which weighed 107kilogrammes was concealed in golden colour nylon bags covered with textile materials and labelled tea with a view to deceive and mislead our officers.

“The so-called tea arose the suspicion of officers at the cargo shed who insisted that it must be subjected to laboratory analysis and test before it will be allowed to go, because the so called tea came from Lagos by road to Kano and our operatives wondered why the owner did not ship it via Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos. Hence, the reason the shipment was delayed until sample was taken and sent to our forensic lab for analysis. The result came out positive for Khat, it has since been seized and is now in our custody.”

Equally, an attempt by a trafficker to export 92.250 kilogrammes of Khat via Turkish Air through the cargo warehouse, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, has also been frustrated and the hard drug packed in six cartoons heading to Goussainville in France confiscated.

The NDLEA Commander at the Abuja airport, Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, said the clearing agent processing the consignment for export claimed the cargo was dried moringa leaves as stated in the airway bill but upon laboratory tests, it turned out to be hard drug.

The statement noted that the Chairman/Chief Executive of the lead anti-drug agency, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) has already commended the Commanders, men and officers of the three international airports Commands for their vigilance and efforts to secure Nigerians and citizens of destination countries from the menace of illicit drugs.