NDLEA arrests Brazilian lady with N3bn heroin in coffee packs at Abuja airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives have arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian lady, Ingrid Rosa Benevides at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja for bringing into Nigeria a total of 30.09 kilograms of white heroin concealed in factory sealed coffee packs worth over N3 billion in street value.

This was made known in a statement on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja.

Babafemi disclosed that the suspect who works as a private security officer in Brazil was arrested at the Abuja airport on Friday upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following processed intelligence.

Following her arrest, a search was conducted on her two checked-in bags where 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee were found.

When the coffee bags were opened, rather than containing the beverage, what was found inside were white substances that later tested positive for heroin weighing a total of 30.09 kilograms, making it the single largest heroin seizure at the Abuja airport.

During her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the white heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 20th January intercepted two passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko who were heading to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight with a total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed in food items packed in their bags.

Meanwhile, operatives of the Marine Command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday 22nd January intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms at the Jakande beach in Lekki Lagos.

The shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence stormed the location around 1am, recovered the consignment and the boat.

In another development, two suspects, Aminu Ali Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28, were on Friday 23rd January arrested by NDLEA operatives in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna.

The bags were intercepted in a commercial bus along Kaduna- Zaria highway, Zaria, while Aminu Ali Baba was arrested at Karota park in Kano and Abdulrasheed Abubakar nabbed at Mando park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations.

An intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA Kaduna on Thursday 22nd January led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim, 42, and Adejimoh Ismaila, 44, with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.

As part of efforts to disrupt the supply chain of illicit drugs to terror groups, NDLEA operatives in Borno State on Wednesday 21st January intercepted 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam concealed in sacks of charcoal and animal feeds in a public transport car coming from Potiskum, Yobe. A follow-up operation in Bulabulin, Maiduguri led to the arrest of the owner, Rabiu Imam, 32.

A female suspect Mrs Eze Cynthia Chioma was on Friday 23rd January arrested in Mokwa, Niger State in a follow up operation by NDLEA operatives following the seizure of her consignment of 78,500 pills of tramadol same day at Bode Saadu, Kwara State in a truck coming from Lagos. Her husband currently remanded in prison and facing trial was arrested for the same drug trafficking offence last year.

In Ekiti, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 24th January arrested 72-year-old Afolalu Joseph at his 15 Aramoko road, Mushin, Ilawe-Ekiti and Abu Bunmi (alias Go Slow), 45, at New Jerusalem area, Erijinyan road, Ilawe-Ekiti for illicit drug dealing. A total of 62 kilograms of skunk were recovered from the duo.

A village head, Chief James Abamu and another suspect, Aboy Egah Abamu have been taken into custody by the Edo State Command of NDLEA following their arrest and prompt transfer to the Agency by soldiers of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Benin city, after a raid operation at Lagos camp Ilushi in Esan South East LGA, where 681kg skunk and 181kg cannabis seeds were recovered from them on Wednesday 21st January.

While the trio of Abba Hassan, Anas Moh’d Auwal and Sadik Ismail were arrested in Sabon Gari area of Kano on Tuesday 20th January with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, the duo of Olajumoke Ridwan and Baruwa Ibukun were nabbed at Paris lounge, Ring road, Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday 22nd January with 181.5 litres of skuchies, a mixture skunk and other illicit substances recovered from them.

In Benue State, a female suspect Janet Iornongu was arrested at Yes Ikyuan village, Guma LGA with 210kg skunk, while a total of 254.5kg of same psychoactive substance was seized from Anita Job along Abaji -Toto road, FCT on Thursday 22nd January. A total of 39,800 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered from two suspects: Hamisu Misbahu and Chima Obi at Alaba Rago, Mile 2 area of Lagos on Monday 19th January.

No fewer than 30,003 pills of tramadol, molly and other opioids as well as 20 litres of codeine syrup were seized from a suspect Chinyecherem Cyprian Ugwu by NDLEA officers along Sapele road Warri, Delta State on Thursday 22nd January, while Kayode Obameye, 57, was nabbed at Mobil roundabout, Akure, Ondo State with 1,500 kilograms of skunk recovered from him on Friday 23rd January.

While commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Marine, Borno, Jigawa, Kwara, Kaduna, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Benue, Lagos and Ondo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to maintain the current standard of professionalism in all their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.

NDLEA arrests Brazilian lady with N3bn heroin in coffee packs at Abuja airport