The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazilian returnee, Nnanna Anayo Michael, with 8.15 kilograms of cocaine at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Rivers State.
The 39-year-old man was arrested during the inward screening of passengers on board Qatar Airline flight QR1433 from Doha to Port Harcourt on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
Nnanna, who hails from Ekwusigo, Anambra State was arrested with 73 sachets weighing 8.15 kilograms of cocaine, which is the largest seizure of cocaine at the airport since it began international flight operations years ago.
The arrest was disclosed via a statement issued and made available to The Star on Sunday by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi noted that during preliminary interview, Nnanna said he departed Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday night 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, Omagwa.
“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 disclosed.
The NDLEA spokesperson added that an immediate follow-up operation led to the arrest of 50-year-old Monday Alaisu, who travelled from Lagos to pick the drug from Nnenna.
Babafemi stated that Alaisu was arrested at the airport’s car park where he was waiting to receive Nnenna with the latter’s photograph taken at the Brazilian airport and his international passport’s Data Page in his hand.
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He added that 17.6kg of cannabis was transferred along with a suspect, Ramon Dauda, 40, to the Oyo State Command of the NDLEA by the Oyo/Osun Area Command of Nigerian Customs Service.
He noted that the anti-narcotic officers on patrol along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway last Thursday intercepted a consignment of 10kg cannabis and 12.1grams of amphetamine in a commercial bus.
The NDLEA spokesman further disclosed that a follow-up operation in Ilesa, Osun State led to the arrest of the owner of the drug exhibits, Mrs. Remi Aluko, aged 44.
Babafemi said three drug joints were raided at Wire Road, Benin City, and Uromi town in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State where 188 pinches of cocaine and Heroin were recovered with five suspects arrested.
He added that the anti-drug operatives in the state destroyed seven clusters of dry season Cannabis Sativa farms in Okpuje Forest along the banks of River Ose totalling 3.124998 hectares.
The anti-narcotic spokesperson further stated that no fewer than seven drug dealers were arrested in raids in parts of Kano State with 80 kilograms of codeine and Pentazocine injection seized from them.
Those arrested in Rijiyar Zaki, Brigade, Yan-Kaba, Tudun Wada, Karfi, Ungogo, and Nassarawa areas of Kano State include Muhammad Adamu, Abba Sani, Auwalu Muhammad, among others.
The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), while commending the working relationship between anti-narcotic agency and other security agencies in the country, charged the anti-drug officers not to rest on their oars.
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