A huge quantity of Ephedrine, with a total weight of 83.390 kilogrammes, intercepted by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Two bags, with one containing heroin and arriving in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and another bearing cannabis, being exported to London, were abandoned at the same airport by traffickers.According to the anti-narcotics agency, three suspects, including luggage handlers and a clearing agent were arrested.
A statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the seized ephedrine has a street value of N4 billion, adding that the substance was concealed in artificial female hair by a suspected drug trafficking syndicate and was headed to South Africa.
The statement gave the names of the suspects as Unegbu Daniel Chukwu, 42; Ettah Joseph, 28; and Wopara Bright, 31. The NDLEA spokesman added that that the agency’s counter-narcotic measures at the airport will intensify on a daily basis.
Also commenting on the seizures, the Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Colonel Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd.), explained that the ephedrine was intercepted at the departure hall during outward screening of a South African Airways flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.
“Anti-narcotic agents have been placed on the alert and will remain vigilant in detecting any act of sabotage. The case is under investigation and anyone found wanting shall be prosecuted in line with the NDLEA Act,”
Colonel Abdallah warned that the agency will frustrate attempts by criminal syndicates to sully the country’s image.He added that three suspects, including luggage handlers and a clearing agent, are currently being interrogated in connection with the crime.
