NDLEA Intercepts N8billion Cocaine, Arrests Brazil-Based Drug Trafficker At Lagos Airport, Seizes $24,500 Bribe
A Brazil-based Nigerian man has been arrested as the prime suspect following the seizure of a consignment of cocaine worth N8 billion in Lagos state.
Spokesperson of the agency, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the arrest, said the drug lord, Ejiofor Felix Enwereaku, based in Brazil was arrested at the airport on Friday, May 14, 2021 for importing 27.95kg of cocaine using their organised criminal gang, which specialises in tagging/planting drugs in innocent travellers’ luggage.
The bag arrived from Brazil at Lagos airport on May 8, but was disclaimed by an arriving passenger of the flight that it purportedly belonged to.
A man that went to the airport on May 9 to claim the bag was promptly arrested by NDLEA, and his confession pointed in the direction of Enwereaku who was arrested when he arrived Lagos from Ethiopia.
The agency in a statement on Sunday, May 23 said the suspect’s gang specialises in tagging and planting drugs in the luggage of innocent travellers.
The suspect allegedly confessed that he was contracted by his Ethiopian associate to deliver the consignment to Lagos.
NDLEA also seized the sum of $24,500 which the suspect offered as bribe to compromise the agency’s operatives and their investigation.
During preliminary interrogation after his arrest, he confessed to have been contracted by his Ethiopian associate who is a notorious drug baron to claim and push out the consignment in Lagos, Nigeria.
He further admitted to have paid the $24,500 bribe in three tranches to compromise NDLEA officers.
The first was $10,000 delivered through his representative in Lagos and another $10, 000 via his First Bank account while the third tranche of $4,500 was paid at the point of his arrest.
NDLEA said Enwereaku’s group is suspected to be responsible for recruiting traffickers to move illicit drugs to various destinations using Nigeria as their transit location and also planting drugs in the luggage of innocent travellers.
Babafemi further said, impressed by the outcome of the intelligence-led operational strategies that took weeks of painstaking efforts and closely monitored by him, chairman/chief executive of NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Marwa (retd) commended the commander, MMIA command of the agency, Ahmadu Garba, his officers and men for their diligence and resilience in following up every lead in the case until the kingpin was successfully entrapped and arrested.
