A Nigerian woman based in Brazil, Mrs. Anita Ugochinyere Ogbonna, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja with 100 pellets of cocaine concealed in her private part and handbag.
The agency said the mother of three was arrested on Friday night on arrival in Abuja via Qatar Air from Sao Paulo, Brazil through Doha.
“Upon a proper search, 12 wraps of cocaine inserted in her private part were extracted while another 88 pellets stuffed in socks were discovered hidden in her handbag”, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday.
During interrogation, Ogbonna, a mother of three children, all resident in Brazil, claimed she lost her husband three years ago.
Babafemi said, “She confessed she decided to traffick the illicit drug to raise money for the burial of her father scheduled for July 22 in Imo state. She said one Emeka, alias KC also based in Brazil gave her the drug to deliver in Nigeria for a fee of $3,000.
“Ogbonna said she pushed the wraps of cocaine into her private part after her attempts to swallow the pellets failed. The suspect who owns a shop where she sells African foodstuffs in Brazil further claimed she had to drop her three young children with a Kenyan lady who is her neighbour in Brazil before she embarked on the quick-money-journey.”
Meanwhile, narcotic officers attached to a courier company in Lagos have intercepted 500grams of ketamine concealed in the walls of a wooden box filled with bitter kola that originated from Douala, Cameroon and heading to the United States of America.
The NDLEA said another 500grams of methamphetamine hidden in automobile parts going to Australia were also seized at the firm.
According to Babafemi, over 410 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs have been intercepted and seized by NDLEA operatives in Plateau and Kwara states.
He said, “A commercial bus with registration number EKY 184 CQ Lagos was intercepted in Plateau with Diazepam weighing 39kg; Exol-5 tablets weighing 35kg and 1.7kg of Flumtrazepam tablets discovered in the vehicle.
“A follow up operation led to the arrest of a drug dealer, Livinus Nnadi at Bauchi motorpark on 26th June, 2021 while on the same day, a blue Sharon minibus with registration number FKG 539 GR, going to Bauchi from Jos was also intercepted and 7.9kg of pentazocine injection recovered from it.
“In the same vein, operatives of the Kwara state command of the Agency have recovered 67.2kg of Tramadol heading to Benin republic at a checkpoint close to Ilesha in Osun state while a 53-year-old drug trafficker, Zakiru Abdullahi has been arrested on Ilorin-Jebba highway on Thursday July 1 with 260kilograms of pentazocine injection meant for Kaduna.”