NDLEA ARREST BRAZIL RETURNEE WITH 105 PARCELS OF COCAINE IN CANDIES ON CHRISTMAS DAY

…NABS THREE TRAFFICKERS WITH 256KGS ILLICIT DRUGS IN KWARA, KOGI, NIGER

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have intercepted a Brazil returnee, Agbasi Prosper Chux with 105 parcels of cocaine concealed in candies at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on Christmas Day.

Director, Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, January 1, 2023, said the suspect was arrested at the ‘D’ arrival hall of the MMIA during inward clearance of passengers from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Doha on Qatar Airways on Sunday, December 25, 2022, following credible intelligence.

According to the statement, an initial search of the suspect’s two checked-in bags almost made him a free man as there was nothing incriminating found there until the NDLEA officers took a second look at the duty-free shopping nylon bags containing packs of ‘candies’ he was holding in his hands.

“A thorough examination of the duty-free shopping bags revealed the packs of candies inside were actually used to conceal 105 parcels of cocaine weighing 2.8 kilograms and 43 grams of cannabis.

“A preliminary test conducted on a plastic bottle of body lotion also found in possession of the suspect also tested positive for cocaine with a total weight of 472 grams. Married to a Brazilian lady with a daughter, Prosper who claimed to be in the clothing business in Brazil was hoping to sell the drug in Enugu, his state.

“Meanwhile, three other traffickers were arrested by operatives with a total of 256 kilograms of illicit substances seized from them during interdiction operations in Kwara, Kogi, and Niger states in the past week.

“While a team of NDLEA officers on stop and search duty along Ilorin-Jebba highway on Monday, December 26, arrested a suspect, Idris Saeed, 19, with 60 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 30kgs, their colleagues in Niger state on similar operation along Jebba-Mokwa road also recovered 240 blocks of the same substance weighing 168 kilograms, from multi-colour sacks loaded in a Peugeot J5 bus, with registration number MAG 146 XA, coming from Lagos and going to Kano for delivery.

“In Kogi state, operatives intercepted a truck coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Maiduguri, Borno along Okene-Abuja highway where 9,900 ampoules of pentazocine injection (42kgs) were recovered on Saturday, December 24. In the same vein, a suspect, Ibrahim Jibril, 20, was arrested on the same route with 40 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 16kgs coming from Lagos to Jigawa in a Toyota Hiace commercial bus on Tuesday, December 27.

“While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Kwara, Kogi, and Niger States Command for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) urged them along with their compatriots across the country to step up their offensive action against drug cartels in the new year with an equal focus on drug demand reduction efforts.”