Onyeka Madukolu, an ex-convict, was detained by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for bringing 5.90 kg of cocaine into Nigeria hidden in deodorant and women’s lip gloss cans.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, claimed in a statement on Sunday that the “businessman” was freed from prison in 2020 after serving a seven-year prison sentence in Ethiopia for narcotics trafficking.
According to Mr. Babafemi, the suspect was detained when he was flying back from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Abeba.
Mr. Babafemi released a video of the illicit drug’s discovery by NDLEA police at the airport.
In a preliminary interview, he stated that he entered the drug trade to raise money to launch a legal company after his release from an Ethiopian prison in 2020, according to the statement.
“The father of two children, one each of a Nigerian and a Brazilian woman, said that before turning to crime, he worked in the motor spare parts industry.
The 44-year-old native of Anambra State’s Awka North Local Government Area stated that upon the successful delivery of the illegal substance in Nigeria, he would receive N2 million.
Lawal Adeyemi, a freight agent, was detained at the airport “for attempting to export some sachets of lexotan among other non-controlled pharmaceuticals to Liberia,” according to Mr. Babafemi.
The arrest of one Qasim Ademola, “a producer of novel psychoactive substance, often known as Akuskura,” was also confirmed by him.
According to him, the suspect had 26,600 bottles of the illegal drug intended for distribution throughout the northern regions.
