The largest seizure of cocaine has been made at Port Harcourt airport,in Nigeria since it began international flight operations years ago. The seizure of 73 sachets of cocaine weighing 8.15kilograms were found on Nnanna Anayo Michael who just returned from Brazil.
The 39 year old Nnanna was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA during the inward screening of passengers on board Qatar Airline flight QR1433 from Doha to Port Harcourt on Tuesday, 29th March. Nnanna who hails from Ekwusigo, Anambra State, during preliminary interview said he departed Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday midnight en route Qatar to Port Harcourt.
He claimed an unidentified person in Sao Paulo gave him six bed sheets in which the drug was concealed to deliver to another unidentified person at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa. The 73 cocaine sachets were hidden in 4×1 feet factory sewn colourful bed sheets. Five of the bed sheets contain 12 sachets each, while the sixth bed sheet contains 13 sachets.
An immediate follow up operation led to the arrest of 50-year-old Monday Alaisu, who travelled from Lagos to pick the drug from Nnenna. He was arrested at the airport’s carpark where he was waiting to receive Nnenna with the latter’s photograph taken at the Brazilian airport and his international passport’s Data Page in his hand.
In a related operation, 9.5 million tablets of pharmaceutical opioids: Tramadol and Exol 5 worth over N5billion have been seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Edo State.
Meanwhile, at least, seven drug dealers were arrested in raids in parts of Kano with 80 kilograms of codeine and pentazocine injection seized from them. Those picked in Rijiyar Zaki, Brigade, Yan-Kaba, Tudun Wada, Karfi, Ungogo and Nassarawa areas of the state include: Muhammad Adamu; Abba Sani; and Auwalu Muhammad, among others.
While commending the working relationship between NDLEA and other security agencies in the country, Chairman/Chief Executive of the anti-narcotic agency,Retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa charged officers and men of the Agency not to rest on their oars.
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