The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a businessman, Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, for ingesting 53 wraps of cocaine in an attempt to board a flight to Iran from Port Harcourt International Airport.
Ezemokwe, 44, was intercepted on Saturday, June 7, while preparing to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 to Tehran Khomeini International Airport via Doha.
Following a body scan which tested positive for narcotics ingestion, the suspect was placed under observation and subsequently excreted the illicit substances in six batches. The total weight of the recovered drugs was 1.172kg.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect confessed to engaging in drug trafficking between West Africa and Iran for the past two years.
This arrest comes barely two weeks after NDLEA operatives at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport apprehended a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, who was also Iran-bound with 65 wraps of cocaine in his stomach.
The statement read:
“Barely two weeks after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, heading to Iran with 65 pellets of cocaine in his stomach, their counterparts at Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) have arrested another businessman, 44-year-old Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, for ingesting 53 wraps of the same class A drug while en route to Tehran Khomeini, Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Ezemokwe was arrested on Saturday, 7th June, while trying to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 to Tehran via Doha. After a body scan confirmed drug ingestion, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.172kg.
He claimed to have been involved in the illicit trade for two years, moving drugs between the West African sub-region and Iran.”
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, arrested Edobor Ambrose Ali, an Italy-bound passenger, for attempting to smuggle 14,410 tramadol pills concealed in winter jackets.
The statement added:
“Similarly, NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, in the early hours of Saturday, June 14, intercepted an Italy-bound passenger, Edobor Ambrose Ali, on an Air France flight.
“In collaboration with the Aviation Security Unit of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), NDLEA officers discovered drug consignments during baggage screening on the tarmac. The suspect was removed from the aircraft for further checks, and a search of his luggage revealed 14,410 pills of tramadol (225mg and 200mg), concealed in winter jackets.
In his statement, Edobor said he lives in Italy and was recruited for an all-expense-paid trip to Nigeria to transport the drug consignment to Milan for a fee of 2,000 Euros.”
Meanwhile, at the Port Harcourt Ports in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a major shipment of codeine-based syrup concealed behind cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.
The statement continued:
“On Friday, June 13, during a joint examination with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, NDLEA operatives intercepted a watch-listed container carrying 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over ₦1.1 billion in street value. The opioids were hidden behind 257 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.”
Also, in Cross River State, NDLEA officers raided a warehouse in Obereakai, Odukpani Local Government Area, recovering 2,687kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.
Three suspects — Friday Achibong Joseph (47), Abraham Anthony Willy (21), and Utibe David Okon (24) — were arrested during the operation on Thursday, June 12.
That same day in Bauchi State, acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects along the Bauchi–Jos road. They recovered 195 blocks of skunk, weighing 287kg, concealed in a Toyota Camry with registration number AKL 201 GG. The suspects were identified as Iriemi Imonikhe (49) and Sa’idu Ladan (30).
In Lagos, NDLEA’s Marine Command recovered 14 jumbo sacks of skunk, weighing 560kg, from a wooden boat along Oniru beach.
At Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri, two businessmen were also arrested with quantities of ecstasy pills and cannabis disguised as snacks labelled ‘Lychee’ and ‘Porro Legal’.
The statement concluded:
“On Thursday, June 12, NDLEA Marine Command operatives recovered 14 jumbo sacks of skunk, weighing 560kg, from a wooden boat at Oniru beach in Lagos.
“Also on the same day, at Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri (MBIAM), two suspects, Ishaku Abdullahi (30) and Buba Usman (32) — were arrested at the domestic wing’s arrival hall with ecstasy pills and skunk packaged in fanciful wraps labelled ‘Lychee’ and ‘Porro Legal’.”
