BY JACOB BRIGHT
Travellers’ cheques in different foreign currencies with a total value of N1, 157, 670,469.92 have been intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that at least, a suspect, Oguma Richard Uchenna has been arrested in connection to the attempt to export the cheques, which were neatly concealed inside four bound hard cover books disguised as academic project literatures, to the United Kingdom.
The financial instruments suspected to be counterfeits were discovered on Wednesday, April 27 at NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport during cargo examination of some consignments meant for exportation to the UK on a cargo flight.
Babafemi said a breakdown of the cheques shows they have monetary values of $287, 623.31; $1,456,300 and 1,297,800 Euros.
In the same vein, he said operatives of the NDLEA at the airport have foiled an attempt by drug traffickers to smuggle into Nigeria 10.89kilograms of cocaine through a Qatar Airways flight.
Babafemi said the illicit drug was hidden in seven children’s duvets packed in an unaccompanied bag from Brazil.
Meanwhile, raid operations in Kaduna, Ondo and Akwa Ibom States have led to the seizure of about 2,000kg of Tramadol, Codeine, Cannabis and Heroin.
In Ondo state, 401kg of cannabis was recovered and two suspects: Julius Dapo, 56 and Emeka Ikebuaku, 32, were arrested at Ipele forest in Owo area on Sunday, April 24.
On the same day, a trans-border drug trafficker, Chigbo Chinonye, 42, was arrested with amphetamine weighing 2.5kg and heroin weighing 0.5kg during a stop and search operation conducted along Oron- Ibaka road on his way to Cameroon.
He was said to have concealed the drugs using false bottom packaging.
In Kaduna, a total of 47 cartons of suspected fake Tramadol, comprising 2,350,000 tablets, weighing 1222kg were seized in Zaria on Monday, April 25, while a dealer, Chinedu Asogwa was arrested the following day April 26 along Abuja-Kaduna express road, with 2919 bottles of cough syrup with codeine, measuring 291.9litres and a gross weight of 396kg.
