By Gom Mirian
A 49-year-old India-bound businessman named Kingsley Celestino was arrested with over 9.40 kilograms of heroin concealed in false bottoms of his two travelling bags, says National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The Director, of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosing this on Sunday, in Abuja, said the arrest was made by the agency’s operatives at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja in Lagos on Saturday while the suspect was on his way to India.
Babafemi said preliminary investigation revealed the suspect a native of Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State frequently travels to India on business class tickets.
According to him, the apprehended suspect also claimed he deals in the clothing business between Nigeria and India.
He said it was further established that he obtained the Guinean international passport in Guinea Bissau, where he said his mother came from.
In the same vein, a 24-year-old passenger travelling to Oman, Etounu Monday, was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday, February 27. Babafemi disclosed.
He said Etounu Monday was arrested during the outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight ET 950 while attempting to export 1.924kg of skunk concealed in cream tubes.
“At the Tincan seaport, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday 3rd March, recovered 244 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 79 kilograms concealed in medium size wooden sound system speakers packed inside two out of four used vehicles in a container marked CRSU9258348 coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada.
“The imported vehicles used as cover for the drugs are a 2009 Jeep Wrangler and a 2009 Honda Ridgeline.
“Similarly, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, attached to courier firms in Lagos intercepted a consignment of nine parcels of methamphetamine concealed in native black soap, Dudu Osun, heading to Europe.
“No fewer than 778,190 pills of pharmaceutical opioids including tramadol and a drum of 270kg Methylene Chloride were recovered by operatives from a suspect, Eric Pepe Yohanna, 33, in Jalingo, Taraba state on Monday 27th Feb following credible intelligence.
“Also seized from him is a Daylong tricycle used in distributing the illicit substances”, Babafemi said.
