NDLEA Nabs Saudi Arabia-bound Widow With Concealed Cocaine In Footwears

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Mrs. Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, over her attempt to traffic 400grams of cocaine concealed in her footwear to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

The suspect, who claims to be a businesswoman trading in adults and children’s wears on Lagos Island, was intercepted on Sunday November 13, 2022 while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight going to Saudi Arabia via Doha.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said upon a critical examination of the pair of sandals she was wearing, two parcels of cocaine weighing 400grams were recovered from them.

In the same vein, attempts by a tricycle parts seller, Ayoade Kehinde Tayo, to send 1kg of Tramadol 225mg and Rohypnol to Istanbul, Turkey via Cairo on an Egypt Airline flight same day were also frustrated by NDLEA operatives who arrested him.

The NDLEA said he was at the airport to hand over the drugs hidden inside a bag of food items to an intending passenger, Idowu Ayoade, but was arrested before he succeeded in doing that.

An intending passenger to Oman via Asky airline, Agbamuche Bright Nkeonye and a lady, Adeoye Oluwakemi Fatimo, who accompanied him to present a bag containing varieties of foodstuffs and body lotion which were used to conceal 1.10kg Cannabis and some Rohypnol capsules, were also arrested at the departure hall of the Lagos Airport on Thursday November 18.

Anti-narcotics officers attached to the SAHCO export shed of the airport equally foiled attempts by traffickers to smuggle consignments of cannabis and ecstasy tablets concealed in three tubers of yam going to Dubai, UAE on Wednesday November 17.

The freight agent, who presented the yams for export, Inegbu Ugochi Akunna, was promptly arrested while the consignor, Ahmodu Sulaimon, was also nabbed thereafter.

At the Brawal container shed of Kirikiri lighter terminal in Lagos, NDLEA operatives equally intercepted cartons of deadly drinks in a container marked APZU3671697 during a joint examination with Customs personnel. Though the bill of lading indicated that the container originated from Cape Town, South Africa, a search of the the shippers’ database showed it was loaded from Antwerp, Belgium.

Babafemi said a full inspection of the container on Thursday, November 18, showed a total of five cartons of beverages labeled as Euphoria cannabis beer and three cartons of cannabis energy drink were found.

Other drinks in the container included 21 cartons of a drink labeled as monkey shoulder; 20 cartons of dead man’s finger; and 139 of champagne fruit, among others.