The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has foiled attempts by traffickers to export hard drugs through three major international airports in the country.
The agency said 200 kilograms of illicit substances were seized from the traffickers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
A statement issued on Sunday by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said at the Lagos airport, 41-year-old Adewuyi Olayinka was arrested while trying to export 650 grams of cocaine wrapped in two parcels to the United Kingdom through the SAHCOL export shed of the MMIA cargo, Ikeja.
According to the NDLEA Commander at the MMIA, Ahmadu Garba, the drug was concealed in dry local pepper and herbal concoction, popularly called agbo.
Also, 107 kilograms of hard drug suspected to be Khat was seized at the cargo shed of the Kano airport, while being exported to Canada.
The acting NDLEA Commander at the MAKIA, Mohammed Ajiya, said, “The drug, which weighed 107kg, was concealed in golden nylon bags covered with textile materials and labelled as tea with a view to deceiving and misleading our officers.
“The so-called tea aroused the suspicion of officers at the cargo shed, who insisted that it must be subjected to laboratory analysis and test before it would be allowed to go, because the so-called tea came from Lagos by road to Kano and our operatives wondered why the owner did not ship it via the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
“Hence, the reason the shipment was delayed until sample was taken and sent to our forensic lab for analysis. The result came back positive for Khat; it has since been seized and is now in our custody,” he said.
Equally, an attempt by a trafficker to export 92.250 kilograms of Khat via Turkish Air through the cargo warehouse, NAIA, Abuja, was frustrated and the hard drug packed in six cartoons heading for Goussainville in France confiscated.
The NDLEA Commander at the Abuja airport, Kabir Tsakuwa, said the clearing agent processing the consignment for export claimed the cargo was dried Moringa leaves as stated in the airway bill, but upon laboratory tests, it turned out to be hard drug.
