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NDLEA operatives arrested Lagos-based businessman Nwabueze Izueke at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while attempting to smuggle 95 cocaine pellets to China.
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The suspect ingested 1.589kg of cocaine, reportedly to raise funds to complete a house project in Enugu State.
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The arrest followed a broader nationwide NDLEA crackdown, leading to massive seizures of cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol and synthetic drugs across several states.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman, Nwabueze Izueke, for attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Nigeria through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Izueke was apprehended during the outward screening of passengers travelling to China via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940. A body scan conducted by NDLEA officers revealed that the suspect had ingested illicit substances.
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According to the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the suspect expelled a total of 95 jumbo-sized wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.589 kilograms, during seven separate excretions while under observation.
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In his statement, Izueke, who claimed to be involved in clothing and auto spare parts trading in Lagos, admitted that he ventured into drug trafficking to raise money to complete a residential building in his hometown, Iwollo, Enugu State.
The NDLEA noted that the arrest formed part of coordinated nationwide operations that recorded multiple drug seizures and arrests across the country.
In Abuja, operatives recovered 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, from a warehouse in Kubwa, while attempts to smuggle methamphetamine concealed inside MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna were thwarted, leading to the arrest of four suspects.
Further operations in Taraba uncovered methamphetamine hidden in yoghurt packs, while in Oyo State, NDLEA arrested a notorious drug producer operating a synthetic cannabis facility, alongside the seizure of large quantities of tramadol, pentazocine injections, skunk and production chemicals.
Additional seizures were recorded in Kwara, Imo, Ondo, Lagos and Enugu States, including the arrest of a couple in Imo State found with 203 kilograms of skunk, and the recovery of 420 kilograms of cannabis hidden in a bush in Ondo State.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and curb the spread of illicit substances across Nigeria.