An Italy-based Nigerian businessman has been arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said he ingested 98 wraps of cocaine allegedly destined for Europe.
The 30-year-old suspect was intercepted on August 2 during the outward clearance of passengers boarding an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Addis Ababa, from where he was travelling onward to France and Italy.
NDLEA operatives placed him under excretion observation, during which he expelled 98 wraps containing 1.510 kilogrammes of cocaine.
The agency said preliminary investigations showed that the suspect had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 before allegedly ingesting the consignment at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State.
He subsequently travelled to Enugu to catch his flight back to Europe.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect told investigators that he had agreed to transport the cocaine for €3,500.
He reportedly said he took the offer because he needed money to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
The Enugu arrest formed part of a wider series of drug interceptions reported by the NDLEA across several states.
In Lagos, operatives stopped an alleged attempt to export 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside 25 phone chargers.
The shipment was reportedly headed for Saudi Arabia.
A separate consignment containing 500 grammes of cocaine was also intercepted at another logistics company.
The drug had allegedly been hidden in a false-bottom backpack and was destined for Italy.
Days later, NDLEA officers intercepted 2.3 kilogrammes of Loud, a potent synthetic cannabis strain, at another Lagos shipping company.
The consignment was reportedly imported from the United States.
In Ondo State, officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway stopped a truck travelling north and discovered 1,633 kilogrammes of skunk concealed among bags of rice shafts.
Two suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure.
The agency also recovered 147 kilogrammes of skunk from Ita Ogbolu Forest during a separate raid.
Warehouse Raid Yields Over 700kg
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a suspected drug warehouse in Elebure village, Orire Local Government Area.
The operation produced more than 731 kilogrammes of illicit drugs, with one suspect arrested. The agency said another alleged associate remains at large.
Edo State also recorded a major seizure after NDLEA officers, backed by soldiers, recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5 kilogrammes in Ewe Luleha, Owan West Local Government Area.
In Abia State, a 31-year-old suspected operator of a drug joint, Chibuike Charles, was arrested during a raid in Osisioma Local Government Area.
It also recovered seven kilogrammes of skunk from the location.
Meanwhile, a wanted drug dealer was arrested in Lagos after a three-month manhunt.
The suspect was apprehended on August 8 at the Fibre Market drug area in Badagry, with 88.5 kilogrammes of skunk recovered from him, according to the agency.
Cannabis Sweets Seized At Lagos Port
At the Tin Can Island Port Complex, NDLEA officers working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies intercepted a shipment containing cannabis-infused food products.
The consignment comprised 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies, with a combined weight of 309.4 kilogrammes.
The items were discovered during the examination of a 40-foot container on August 4. One suspect has been arrested.
Beyond the seizures and arrests, the NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign in schools and communities during the week.
The agency conducted sensitisation programmes in Oyo, Anambra and Kano states, while its Rivers Command visited Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in Port Harcourt for an advocacy programme.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended personnel involved in the operations and urged them to maintain the agency’s combined focus on enforcement, prevention and public awareness.
