The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of two suspected drug traffickers for allegedly smuggling 125 wraps of heroin into the country.
The arrests took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers state.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, confirmed that the suspects were apprehended during routine checks and later expelled the wraps of heroin after being placed under observation.
According to Babafemi, the first suspect, Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, also known as Kargbo Mohamed Foday, was detained on February 2 at Port Harcourt airport while arriving from Doha via Abuja. A body scan reportedly revealed that he had ingested 62 wraps of heroin, weighing 1.3kg.
Babafemi stated that investigations revealed Sylvanus, who holds dual Nigerian and Sierra Leonean citizenship, has been trafficking drugs between Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West Africa since 2017, following the collapse of his clothing business.
The second suspect, James Herbert Chinoso, 48, was arrested on February 1 at Lagos airport upon his arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa.
Babafemi mentioned that Chinoso expelled 62 wraps of heroin weighing 909g, adding that he admitted to turning to drug trafficking after his phone accessories business in Liberia failed. “He was subsequently taken for body scan which confirmed he ingested illicit drugs and thereafter placed under excretion observation during which he expelled a total of 62 wraps of heroin in five excretions, weighing 1.348 kilograms,” Babafemi said.
“The second trafficker, James Herbert Chinoso, 48, was arrested at the Lagos airport on February 1 upon arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight,” Babafemi added. “After a body scan confirmed illicit drug in his system, he was placed under excretion observation during which he egested 63 wraps of heroin with a total weight of 909 grams.”
The agency also seized two parcels of synthetic cannabis known as “Loud,” weighing 2.8kg, at a Lagos courier company on February 6.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers intercepted 80 ampoules of pentazocine, a controlled painkiller, concealed in cartons bound for Canada.
In Kano, two suspects, Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, were arrested with “15,396 tramadol pills concealed in a gas cylinder.”
Meanwhile, in Kogi state, officers intercepted 12,800 tramadol pills on the Kabba-Obajana highway, leading to the arrest of 33-year-old Salisu Basiru.
Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, commended the officers involved, calling the operations a significant success in the country’s fight against drug trafficking.
