The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, has successfully intercepted and recovered a significant quantity of cocaine weighing 18.72 kilograms. This operation thwarted the attempt of an international drug syndicate operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, and Nigeria to smuggle 845 wraps of cocaine into Lagos.
NDLEA Intercept Cocaine Worth 4billion Concealed In Ethiopian Aircraft Lavatories
On Sunday, November 3, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi announced the recovery of substantial drug consignments during a post-landing cleaning of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET900 from Addis Ababa to Lagos on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. The seized narcotics, estimated to have a street value of Four Billion Four Hundred and Ninety-Two Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N4,492,800,000), were discovered in two lavatories of the aircraft.
The illicit drug shipments were concealed within nine polyethylene bags and strategically hidden in the waste collectors located in the two rear lavatories of the aircraft. The discovery was made after the MMIA Strategic Command of NDLEA received an alert regarding the presence of these suspicious items. Consequently, approximately 30 individuals have been interrogated in relation to this seizure.
Our investigations have shown that the confiscated narcotics were transported from Brazil to Ethiopia via ingestion and were excreted in Addis Ababa by a group of couriers. Simultaneously, other traffickers attempted to smuggle the drugs into Nigeria through the Lagos airport. However, their efforts were thwarted due to the cooperation of the airline’s authorities and other airport stakeholders.
Likewise, attempts by certain drug trafficking organizations to export 2.928kg of cocaine, cannabis, and tramadol 225mg concealed in body cream containers and pieces of artwork to Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom via courier companies in Lagos were successfully thwarted by NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) on Monday, October 28th.
