NDLEA Arrests Two Pregnant Women, Barber for Drug Trafficking
Two pregnant women are among drug traffickers arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos for attempting to import and export illicit drugs through the airport last week.
According to a statement yesterday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the first to be caught by the agency’s dragnet is a Brazilian returnee, Nworie Chikwendu, who was arrested last Tuesday during an inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil enroute Doha to Lagos.
Babafemi said during a thorough search of his luggage, two parcels of cocaine were discovered concealed in a pair of brown slippers hidden in his oxblood backpack and during a further search of the pair of black slippers worn by the suspect also led to the recovery of additional two parcels of cocaine built into the soles of his foot wears, bringing the total to four parcels weighing 800 grammes.
He disclosed that while undergoing preliminary interrogation, Nworie, who claimed to be a barber in Sao Paulo, said he came to Nigeria for the burial of his father.
He confessed to trafficking the drugs because his trip was sponsored by his Brazil-based friend who gave him the drug to deliver in Lagos for a fee of N2 million.
The spokesman also said last Wednesday NDLEA operatives at the SAHCO export shed of the airport intercepted some cartons of alcoholic drinks suspected to contain illicit drugs.
He disclosed that a freight agent who brought the consignment for export to Dubai, UAE, Shola Ogunrinde, was immediately arrested while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of a pregnant woman, Mrs. Seun Babatunde, who operates an alcohol joint in Pleasure area of Iyana Ipaja.
He said when the cartons were opened in the presence of the agent and the pregnant woman, seven parcels of cannabis and a sachet of ecstasy drug (MDMA) were found concealed inside cans of Black Bullet alcoholic drinks.
He said in her confession, Babatunde claimed the drugs were being sent to her husband who lives in Dubai.