Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have
apprehended Udechukwu Ekene Theophilus, a Brazil returnee, at Murtala Muhammed
International Airport in Lagos. Udechukwu ingested 60 wraps of cocaine,
totaling 1.279 kilograms, on a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
This was made known in a statement signed by the
Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and posted on the agency website
on Sunday.
The statement said, "Operatives of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a Brazil returnee, Udechukwu Ekene
Theophilus at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos for
ingesting 60 big wraps of cocaine.
"The suspect who was arrested during inward clearance of
passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia at the D-Arrival Hall of the Lagos airport on Sunday 21st January
2024, initially refused to undergo body scan, raising health concerns in a
desperate bid to evade arrest.
"When he was however offered other options, he accepted
to be placed on excretion observation and shortly after he was ushered into
NDLEA observatory, he excreted the first set of cocaine pellets, after which he
expelled a total of 60 wraps of the class A drug weighing 1.279 kilogrammes in
five excretions."
NDLE said Udechukwu claimed in his statement that he ingested
the consignment in Brazil and was to discharge everything at the airport in
Addis Ababa but could only excrete 15 pellets which he handed over to another
member of his syndicate before his connecting flight to Nigeria was called.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives recovered 12 cartons of
tramadol weighing 385.40kg from an overstayed cargo at the SAHCO import shed at
Lagos airport. The tramadol arrived in two batches on KLM Royal Dutch Airline
flights from Karachi, Pakistan, between July 27 and August 1, 2023.
In separate operations, NDLEA seized 822 kilograms of
cannabis sativa in Yobe, arrested suspects in Yobe, Kogi, and Kano states, and
intercepted a truck carrying cannabis, tramadol, and diazepam pills in
Gombe-Bauchi road.
The agency also declared ex-beauty queen Ms. Aderinoye Queen
Christmas wanted after she escaped during a raid on her Lekki residence, where
cannabis and drug-related items were found.
The statement said, "Meanwhile, an ex-beauty queen, Ms.
Aderinoye Queen Christmas also known as Ms. Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye has
been declared wanted by the Agency after she escaped from her Lekki, Lagos
residence when NDLEA operatives raided her apartment at Oral estate, Lekki on
Wednesday 24th January following credible intelligence she deals in illicit
substances.
"The suspect was Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture
2015/2016 and the founder of Queen Christmas Foundation.
"Recovered from her home during the search witnessed by
the estate officials include 606 grams of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of
cannabis, an electronic weighing scale, large quantities of drugs packing
plastics, a black RAV 4 SUV marked Lagos KSF 872 GQ, and her picture frame
among others."
Members of an international drug trafficking syndicate, Sunday Michael Owoborode and Valentine Anene, were also arrested in Ogun state, while Sunday Adediran was apprehended in Lagos with 20kg of cannabis sativa.
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