Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a South African woman with 36.65 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, leading to the arrest of two other suspects linked to the alleged drug trafficking syndicate.
The 34-year-old suspect, identified as Qhina Beauty, was arrested on October 7 while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests in a statement on Sunday.
According to the agency, a search of Beauty’s two travelling bags led to the discovery of 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg. The drugs were reportedly wrapped in cellophane tape, mixed with dried pepper and packed into seven parcels.
During questioning, Beauty allegedly told investigators that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 to collect the consignment. She reportedly said another South African woman recruited her and promised to pay her 20,000 rand upon successful delivery.
She also identified two alleged members of the syndicate, including a person based in the United States and a Lagos-based car dealer.
The agency said its operatives subsequently arrested the 46-year-old car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, on October 14 at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following surveillance at his residence in Shasha.
Umunnakwe allegedly admitted receiving Beauty at the airport and arranging accommodation for her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin before moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.
In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, the agency arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American woman, Anetor Gloria Ubong, with 9.45kg of a substance identified as loud, a form of synthetic cannabis.
Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, was arrested on October 21 after arriving on a United Airlines flight from Houston. A search of her two checked-in boxes reportedly uncovered 18 parcels of the substance concealed with gift-wrapping paper.
She allegedly told investigators that her daughter and the latter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the box to her home in the US for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé.
The agency also reported several arrests and drug seizures across the country.
In Lagos, operatives arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat in the Eti Osa area on October 23, recovering 5,820 diazepam pills, 780 tramadol tablets, 3.7kg of skunk cannabis and 230.25 litres of skuchies, a locally produced alcoholic drug mixture.
In Warri, Delta State, a 51-year-old suspect, Peter Ugochukwu, was arrested with large quantities of pharmaceutical opioids and other substances. The seized items included 29,350 tramadol capsules, 6,620 tramadol tablets, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 Rohypnol tablets, 3,500 diazepam tablets and various injectable drugs.
A 46-year-old physically challenged woman, Helen Bakporo Samson, was also arrested at Enhere Junction in Warri on October 19 with 6kg of skunk.
In Ibadan, Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested 41-year-old Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi on October 19. The agency said he had earlier escaped arrest after officers seized 197.8kg of cannabis from his residence on September 16.
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