By Chimezie Godfrey
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 35-year-old woman who concealed 3,200 tramadol capsules in a fake pregnancy and intercepted an Ivorian national who excreted 82 wraps of cocaine at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Details of the operations were contained in a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, on Sunday.
The agency said the woman was arrested at the Seme land border on February 16 while attempting to travel to Cotonou, Benin Republic. A search revealed that her protruding belly was designed with a calabash used to conceal tramadol capsules.
On the same day, operatives at Kano airport intercepted the Ivorian suspect during clearance for an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan. After a body scan confirmed ingestion of drugs, he excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49kg.
The NDLEA also announced the arrest of a Lagos-based real estate chief executive, Kolapo Oladapo Raji, from whom 89.20kg of Canadian Loud cannabis was recovered.
Additional seizures were recorded in Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Delta, Kogi and Rivers states, including 170,900 bottles of codeine-based syrup at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across commands for their operational successes and sustained anti-drug efforts.