By Opeyemi Adelakun
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a South African woman with 36.65 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, alongside a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother allegedly caught with 9.45kg of synthetic cannabis.
The agency disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, detailing separate interdiction operations at the Lagos airport and other locations across the country.
The South African suspect, identified as 34-year-old Qhina Beauty, was arrested on October 7 while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa through Doha.
According to the NDLEA, a search of her two travelling bags uncovered 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg. The drugs were allegedly wrapped in cellophane tape, mixed with dried pepper and packed into seven separate parcels.
During questioning, Beauty reportedly said she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to collect the consignment. She allegedly told investigators that another South African woman recruited her and promised to pay her 20,000 rand upon successful delivery.
She also reportedly identified two other alleged members of the trafficking network, one based in the United States and another a car dealer in Lagos.
Further investigations led to the arrest of 46-year-old Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe on October 14 at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following surveillance at his residence in Shasha.
The agency said Umunnakwe admitted receiving Beauty at the airport, arranging accommodation for her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and later moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.
Grandmother arrested with synthetic cannabis
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Anetor Gloria Ubong, a 62-year-old realtor based in Richmond, Texas, following her arrival from Houston aboard a United Airlines flight on October 21.
The agency said a search of her two checked-in boxes led to the discovery of 18 parcels of a substance identified as loud, a form of synthetic cannabis weighing 9.45kg.
According to the statement, Ubong, who holds Nigerian and United States passports, claimed that her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the box to her home in the US for onward delivery to her daughter’s fiancé in Nigeria.
The allegation has not been independently verified.
More arrests, drug seizures across states
The NDLEA also reported several arrests and seizures during operations in Lagos, Delta and Oyo states.
In the Eti Osa area of Lagos, operatives arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat on October 23. The agency said the operation yielded 5,820 pills of diazepam, 780 tramadol tablets, 3.7kg of skunk cannabis and 230.25 litres of a substance known as skuchies.
In Warri, Delta State, a 51-year-old suspect, Peter Ugochukwu, was arrested with a large quantity of pharmaceutical opioids and other substances.
The seized items reportedly included 29,350 tramadol capsules, 6,620 tablets of tramadol 200mg, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 tablets of Rohypnol, 3,500 diazepam tablets, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection, alongside quantities of tramadol 225mg, Molly and Cocodamol.
The agency said Ugochukwu was transferred from the Nigeria Police Force in Delta State alongside a white Hummer bus.
In another operation at Enhere Junction, Warri, NDLEA operatives arrested Helen Bakporo Samson, a 46-year-old woman with a physical disability, on October 19, allegedly recovering 6kg of skunk cannabis from her.
In Ibadan, Oyo State, 41-year-old Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi was arrested on October 19 following an earlier operation in which the agency said it seized 197.8kg of cannabis from his residence on September 16. The suspect had reportedly escaped during the initial operation.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), urged agency operatives to sustain efforts against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
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