Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian British grandmother at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside fake plantain peels destined for the United Kingdom.
The suspect, Mary Yetunde Barek, a UK-based caregiver, was intercepted on June 28 while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London, according to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
NDLEA said officers discovered the illicit consignment during a routine search of the suspect’s luggage after identifying suspicious packaging concealed among food items.
“A search of her luggage uncovered 31 large wraps of cocaine carefully packaged to resemble hands of plantain and hidden among other food items,” Babafemi said.
He added that the suspect admitted ownership of the narcotics during interrogation.
The agency said the seizure reflects the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by international drug trafficking syndicates seeking to evade airport security and law enforcement agencies.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Nwabueze Felix Onyeka in Ozubulu, Anambra State, over the attempted export of 5.8 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside cartons of Orijin Bitters intended for shipment to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
According to the agency, Onyeka was identified as the alleged leader of the trafficking syndicate following investigations that began with the arrest of four suspects in Lagos.
Babafemi said intelligence gathered during the initial arrests enabled investigators to trace the operation to Anambra, where the suspected kingpin was apprehended.
The agency also reported major anti-narcotics operations across Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe states, resulting in the seizure of tramadol, methamphetamine and more
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Hussaini Ibrahim 
