By Eunice Orike
Operatives of the national drug law enforcement agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman, Mary Barek, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in fake plantain peels through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The suspect, said to be a caregiver based in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of the airport’s Terminal 2 while preparing to board a flight to London.
A statement disclosed by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi,said officers discovered 31 parcels of cocaine carefully packaged to resemble plantain and hidden among food items in her luggage.
According to him, the recovered drugs weighed a total of 13 kilograms, adding that the suspect admitted ownership of the illicit substance during interrogation.
In a separate operation, the agency arrested a Malaysian-based Nigerian PhD student, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, over an alleged attempt to ship cocaine concealed inside cartons of Orijin Bitters to Kuala Lumpur.
Babafemi said investigators tracked Onyeka to his hometown in Ozubulu, Anambra State, where he was arrested on June 29 after being identified as the alleged mastermind of a drug trafficking network.
The arrest followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.8 kilograms hidden inside nine cartons of the herbal drink that were part of a cargo shipment destined for Malaysia.
The NDLEA said four other suspects had earlier been arrested in Lagos during investigations into the shipment. They include a cargo agent, a driver, a trader and another suspect alleged to have supplied the cartons used to conceal the drugs.
Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives intercepted 43,980 capsules of Tramadol hidden inside specially modified fuel tanks of a vehicle along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.
A 30-year-old suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
In Kaduna State, officers raided a location in Gwantu and arrested two suspects, Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, with 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The agency also reported major drug seizures in Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe states.
In Ebonyi, a 65-year-old suspect, Francis Ifara Eja, was arrested with 231.7 kilograms of skunk, while in Plateau, a 75-year-old man identified as Alhaji Babani was allegedly caught with 15 kilograms of the same substance.
In Gombe State, two suspects were arrested after operatives recovered 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms.
