48-year-old Emmanuel Orjinze, a businessman headed to France, has been apprehended by agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for “swallowing 111 packets of cocaine.” He was detained on May 21 at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while undergoing clearance for Air France flight 878 from Abuja to Paris. According to Babafemi, a body scan revealed that Orjinze had ingested illegal drugs. Subsequently, he was taken into custody, where he expelled 111 cocaine pellets over three days, totaling 1.603 kilograms.
“The suspect claimed he does business in the maritime sector while still scouting for any European football club to engage him,” the reports read. The report added that NDLEA officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos dismantled a drug trafficking network.
“This followed the arrest of four members of the network and the seizure of a total of 8kg of methamphetamine and 7.60kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from South Africa ”.
“The lid was blown off the syndicate when an official within the airport system was intercepted with a backpack and a bag at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the airport by NDLEA officers with the support of Aviation Security officers on Tuesday 21st May 2024. A search of the bags led to the discovery of the illicit substances.
“A swift follow-up operation at Ajao Estate area of Lagos led to the arrest of two other members of the syndicate: Chris Nwadozie and Chinedu Nwaosu.
Further investigation led to the arrest of another cartel member working within the airport system on Saturday, May 25.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers at the NAHCO export shed of Lagos airport detained a freight agent, Sonubi Mariam Abiodun, on Wednesday, May 22. She attempted to smuggle 8 parcels of cocaine, weighing 2kg, concealed in three out of six paint buckets filled with shea butter, intended for export to the United Kingdom.
