Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on international drug trafficking networks with the arrest of a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother attempting to smuggle 13 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom, alongside the dismantling of a Malaysia-bound cocaine syndicate allegedly led by a Nigerian PhD student studying abroad.
The high-profile arrests, announced on Sunday, underscored the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by drug traffickers and the growing involvement of elderly persons and highly educated individuals in transnational narcotics operations.
The agency also intercepted large consignments of tramadol hidden inside vehicle fuel tanks, seized hundreds of kilogrammes of cannabis and methamphetamine across several states, and arrested multiple suspects in coordinated operations nationwide.
The biggest airport seizure involved 67-year-old Mrs. Mary Barek, a Nigerian-British citizen employed as a caregiver in the United Kingdom.
She was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
NDLEA operatives who searched her luggage discovered 31 large wraps of cocaine ingeniously disguised as fresh plantain peels and packed among other food items. The illicit drug weighed 13 kilogrammes.
According to the agency, the suspect admitted ownership of the cocaine during interrogation.
In another breakthrough, NDLEA operatives dismantled an international drug syndicate attempting to smuggle cocaine to Malaysia through a shipment concealed inside the walls of cartons of Orijin Bitters.
According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, the operation culminated in the arrest of 45-year-old Nwabueze Onyeka, a PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, who investigators identified as the alleged mastermind of the trafficking network.
The arrest followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.8 kilogrammes hidden inside nine cartons of the herbal alcoholic beverage that formed part of a consolidated cargo destined for Kuala Lumpur.
Babafemi said investigations initially led to the arrest of four suspects in Lagos, including a cargo agent, the driver who transported the consignment, a trader at the ASPANDA Market in the Lagos Trade Fair Complex, and another suspect who allegedly supplied the specially prepared cartons used for concealing the narcotics.
He stated that the trail eventually led operatives to Aziora community in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, where Onyeka was arrested while allegedly hiding in his village.
Beyond the cocaine seizures, NDLEA operatives also intercepted 43,980 capsules of tramadol concealed inside two modified vehicle fuel tanks along the Wukari-Zaki Biam Road in Taraba State.
The suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, was reportedly transporting the consignment from Onitsha in Anambra State when he was arrested.
In Kaduna State, anti-narcotics officers arrested two suspects, Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, after recovering 1.7 kilogrammes of methamphetamine during a raid in Gwantu.
Another 231.7 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered in Ebonyi State from a 65-year-old suspect, Francis Eja.
In Plateau State, operatives arrested a 75-year-old suspect, Alhaji Babani, found in possession of 15 kilogrammes of skunk at Kurgwi in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area.
Similarly, in Gombe State, officers arrested two suspects, Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilogrammes during an intelligence-led operation at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.
Alongside the enforcement operations, the agency said it continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Anambra, Enugu, Ogun and Kano States.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the commands for combining aggressive drug supply reduction efforts with sustained public education campaigns.
The latest arrests come amid growing concerns by security agencies over the use of increasingly sophisticated concealment techniques and the recruitment of unsuspecting couriers, elderly persons and professionals into international drug trafficking networks, as Nigeria continues to strengthen border controls and intelligence-driven operations against transnational organised crime.