THISDAY

NDLEA Arrests Saudi-bound Trafficker with Cocaine in Sandals

- Michael Olugbode inAbuja

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcemen­t Agency (NDLEA), have arrested a member of Lagos major drug syndicate, a 56-year-old, Lawal Oyenuga, who was on a mission to deliver 400 grammes of cocaine concealed in a pair of palm sandals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Orenuga’s arrest led to a swift follow-up arrest of a wanted notorious kingpin, Wasiu Gbolahan popularly known as Teacher, who is notorious for the recruitmen­t of mules for the cartel.

A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said operatives of the anti-narcotics agency attached to the screening point of the Murtala Muhammed Internatio­nal Airport, Lagos, had on Thursday 24th November intercepte­d Oyenuga with a pair of black palm sandals packed in the luggage he was going with to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight.

Babafemi disclosed that a thorough examinatio­n of the sandals revealed they were used to conceal two parcels of cocaine weighing 400 grammes, noting that this was barely a week after a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Mrs. Ajisegiri Sidika, was arrested at the airport over her attempt to traffic 400 grammes of cocaine concealed in her footwear to Makkah, Saudi Arabia on board a Qatar Airways flight.

The spokesman said Oyenuga in his statement claimed he was recruited to traffic the drug by Wasiu Gbolahan popularly known as Teacher, adding that he was first given some pellets of cocaine to swallow but when he couldn’t do that, he was given the ones concealed in the palm sandals.

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