New Telegraph

NDLEA records largest cocaine seizure in history of P/Harcourt airport

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said they have recorded the largest cocaine seizure in the history of the Port Harcourt International Airport and 7 drug dealers were also arrested at Kano, in Kano State.

A 39-year-old suspect, Nnanna Michael, a Brazilian returnee, was arrested during the inward screening of passengers on board a Qatar Airline flight QR1433 from Doha to Port Harcourt on Tuesday, March 29.

Michael who hails from Ekwusigo, Anambra State was arrested with 73 sachets weighing 8.15 kilograms of cocaine, which is the largest seizure of such at the airport, since it began international flight operations.

During preliminary interview, Michael said he departed Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday midnight en route Qatar to Port Harcourt.

He claimed an unidentified person in Sao Paulo gave him six bed sheets in which the drug was concealed to deliver to another unidentified person at Port Harcourt International Airport, one Omagwa.

The agency spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi in a statement yesterday said the 73 cocaine sachets were hidden in 4×1 feet factory sewn colourful bed sheets. Five of the bed sheets contain 12 sachets each, while the sixth bed sheet contains 13 sachets.

Babafemi said an immediate follow up operation led to the arrest of 50-year-old Monday Alaisu, who travelled from Lagos to pick the drug from Michael in Port Harcourt.

He was arrested at the airports’ car park where he was waiting to receive him with the latter’s’ photograph taken at the  Brazilian airport and his international passports Data Page in his hand.

Meanwhile, not less than 9.5 million tablets of pharmaceutical opioids: Tramadol and Exol 5 worth over N5billion have also been seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.

At the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Edo State, operatives of the Agency and the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS recovered 214 cartons of Tramadol 225 under 10 different brand names, which translate to 9, 219, 400 tablets weighing 6, 384.5kg, with an estimated street value of N4, 609, 700, 000, alongside 85 cartons of dried Khat leaves with a total weight of 1, 327.35kg transferred by the Nigerian Customs to the MMIA Command of NDLEA as a symbol of the synergy between the two law enforcement agencies.

In Abuja, about 228,740 tablets and capsules of Tramadol and Exol 5 were also intercepted on Friday April 1, at Abaji area of the FCT. The truck conveying the drugs was loaded in Lagos heading to Kano.

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