By IBIRONKE ARIYO

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), has arrested a businessman, 44-year-old Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka for ingesting 53 wraps of cocaine at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA).

In a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy (NDLEA), Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja, the suspect was arrested while on his way to Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Babafemi said that the arrest came barely two weeks after operatives of the NDLEA at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano, intercepted a 60-year-old businessman Chinedu Okigbo with 65 pellets of cocaine in his stomach.

He said that Ezemokwe was arrested at the Port Harcourt airport on Saturday, June 7 while trying to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 flying to Tehran in Iran via Doha.

According to him, after a body scan proved positive to ingestion of illicit drugs, he was placed on excretion observation.

“This was during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine in six excretions with a total weight of 1.172kg.

“The suspect claimed to have gone into the criminal trade two years ago, moving between the West African sub-region and Iran.”

Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos in the early hours of Saturday, June 14 intercepted an Italy bound passenger, Edobor Ambrose on an Air France flight.

Babafemi said that the NDLEA officers in collaboration with the Aviation Security of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), discovered drug consignments hidden in the luggage of the suspect.

This, he said, was during baggage scanning at the tarmac adding that the suspect was thereafter brought down from the aircraft for baggage identification.

He added that a thorough search of the bag led to the discovery of 14,410 pills of tramadol 225 mg and 200 mg concealed in winter jackets.

“In his statement, Ebodor said he lives in Italy where he was hired and sent on the all-expense paid trip to Nigeria to courier the drug consignments to Milan, Italy for a fee of 2,000 Euros.

Babafemi quoted the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, commending the officers and men of MMIA, PHIA, and FAAN commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week.

Marwa praised their compatriots in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts. (NAN)