After 35 years in Brazil, a businessman based in the South American country, Ezeokoli Sylva has returned home with 700 grams of cocaine buried in his stomach, a discovery made following his arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the 59-year-old Ezeokoli was arrested on Friday, November 29, 2024 at the E-Arrival hall of the Lagos airport upon his return from Sao Paulo, Brazil on Ethiopia Airlines flight via Addis Ababa.
He said when he was taken for body scan, the result confirmed that the suspect had foreign objects concealed in his stomach. As a result, he was placed under excretion observation during which he expelled 29 wraps of substances that tested positive to cocaine weighing 700grams.
In his statement, Babafemi explained that the suspect claimed he operates an African store in Brazil where he sells provisions, shoes and clothes.
He added that he bought the illicit consignment in Sao Paulo to resell in Nigeria with a view to raising substantial capital to boost his business.
Meanwhile, Babafemi also revealed that NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Investigation and General Investigation on Tuesday, November 26, intercepted two consignments containing cocaine and pentazocine injection going to the United Kingdom via a courier company in Lagos.
He said while the cocaine weighing 200grams was concealed in local fabrics, 40 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 110grams were hidden in cartons.
In Kano, he said NDLEA operatives on Thursday, November 28 arrested three suspects: Jamilu Adamu, 38; Umar Musa, 32; and Bunu Ali, 27, with 2,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 3,135,000 pills exol-5 at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria road.
He added that no fewer than 2, 120 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis produced in Ghana were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the Ilesan beach, Lagos on Thursday, November 28.
A suspect, Onibogi Muftau was arrested in connection with the seizure while four vehicles that were to convey the shipments from the water front were also recovered. This came on the heels of the seizure of 472kg of the same psychoactive substance at Idi-Iroko, Imeko area of Ogun state on Monday, November 25.
In Edo State, Babafemi said two suspects: Monday Onyenemue, 60, and Evans Omogiede, 42, were arrested on Thursday, November 28 and 185.6kg cannabis as well as a Toyota Previa bus marked BEN 06XL conveying the consignment recovered during an intelligence-led raid by NDLEA operatives at Ukuwague Street, Benin city.
