A 67-year-old grandmother working as a caregiver in the United Kingdom has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after they allegedly found 13 kilogrammes of cocaine ingeniously concealed in parcels made to resemble fresh plantains in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The suspect, Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, a Nigerian-British citizen, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the airport while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on June 28.
According to the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a thorough search of her luggage led to the discovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine packaged to resemble bunches of plantains and concealed among other food items.
Babafemi said the suspect admitted ownership of the cocaine during interrogation.
“In her statement, the elderly woman admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits,” he said.
In a related development, Babafemi said a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, was arrested in Anambra State over an alleged attempt to traffic 5.8 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the walls of nine cartons of Orijin Bitters destined for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He said the arrest followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine hidden within the walls of the herbal drink cartons and investigations that led to the arrest of four other suspects in Lagos. They include a cargo agent, a driver, a trader and an alleged accomplice who supplied the Orijin Bitters cartons used to conceal the cocaine.
“The efforts eventually paid off, leading to the unmasking of Nwabueze hiding in his village, Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State, as the leader of the syndicate,” Babafemi stated.
The anti-narcotics agency also announced several other arrests across the country, including the seizure of 43,980 capsules of tramadol concealed inside two vehicle fuel tanks in Taraba State and the recovery of large quantities of cannabis and methamphetamine in Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe states.
Commenting on the operations, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the arrests and seizures.
“While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitisation activities and charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to raise the operational bar,” Babafemi said.
The agency said it would continue to intensify efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks while expanding its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, communities, places of worship and workplaces across the country.
