Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested two Europe-based Nigerian ‘businessmen’ who flew home on holiday and attempted to return to Paris, France with their bellies loaded with cocaine.

The operatives arrested the suspects at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja on Wednesday, during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 832 from Abuja to Paris.

A statement by NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi said both men have excreted a total of 200 wraps of the class A drug weighing 3.460 kilograms.

Babafemi in the said the first suspect, who claims to live in France where he works in a factory, had arrived in Nigeria for a short holiday on October 21.

He was however arrested by NDLEA operatives on his return flight few days after when he was subjected to a body scan, which confirmed the presence of foreign objects in his stomach.

Under interview, he admitted to having ingested 110 pellets of cocaine, and was placed under observation during which he excreted all 110 wraps, which tested positive for cocaine with a total weight of 1.901 kilograms.

On the same flight, his co-traveller was also nabbed by NDLEA officers at the departure hall of the Abuja airport.

His body scan likewise returned positive for ingestion, while he confessed to having swallowed 90 pellets of cocaine.

Under observation, he excreted all 90 wraps, which tested positive for the class A drug after each excretion and weighed a total of 1.559 kilograms, he said.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja–Kaduna expressway have arrested a woman at the toll gate with 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition.

Also, on the Zaria–Kano expressway, a 68-year-old man was arrested at Gwargwaje, Zaria, with 2,770 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 100 ampoules of diazepam injection, 11,000 tablets of diazepam and 4,500 tablets of Exol-5.

Meanwhile, operatives have intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs in seven states across the country.

The states include Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Ondo, Oyo and Edo, in a series of intelligence-led operations.

Giving a breakdown, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives acting on actionable intelligence on the movement of skunk intercepted a white Volkswagen LT 28 bus along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, Lagos.

Babafemi said the NDLEA operatives intercepted 537kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, on Sunday, Oct. 25, while it was being transported from the Island to the Mainland.

“The same day, another team of officers intercepted a brown J5 bus along the Gbagada–Oshodi expressway, with 439 kilograms of the same substance seized,”he said.

In Oyo, NDLEA operatives on Thursday conducted a follow-up operation at Idere road, Igboora, where two suspects were arrested.

Babafemi said their arrest came while loading 554 kilograms of skunk into a Volvo truck for onward movement into town.

“The operation targeted a notorious drug dealer known as ‘Omo Oba’, who escaped arrest on October 25.

“This happened when officers seized 309.5 kilograms of the strong cannabis strain popularly called ‘Ghanaian Loud’ linked to him,” he said.

Also, in Kano, NDLEA operatives on Monday raided a location in Tsamiya area of Gezawa where they recovered 247,500 tablets of diazepam weighing 57.7 kilograms and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 weighing 38.7 kilograms.

“Two days later, on Wednesday, October 28, another team of officers stormed Dorayi area of the state, where they arrested two suspects with 19,250 pills of tramadol 225mg weighing 13.6 kilograms,” Babafemi said.

According to him, in a raid at Tashan Banke area of the state, officers also arrested seven suspects and recovered 178.85 kilograms of cannabis alongside quantities of diazepam, tramadol, Exol-5 and pregabalin.

In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives on Oct. 25 acting on credible intelligence raided cannabis farms in Ijare forest.

Babafemi said they arrested four suspects adding that a total of 16 bags of processed cannabis weighing 180 kilograms were recovered from the farms.

Similarly, a team of NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers on Wednesday, raided Eko Camp in Ilushi, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.

Babafemi said a cannabis plantation measuring 1.646 hectares with an estimated yield of 4,115.53 kilograms was destroyed.

“A 50-year-old woman was arrested at the camp with 301 kilograms of processed cannabis, while another 176 kilograms of the drug was recovered during the raid,”he said.

In Sokoto, operatives of Zone 7 Command of NDLEA, acting on credible intelligence, on Saturday arrested a 68-year-old man with 236.6 kilograms of skunk.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Obawole Grammar School 11, Ojodu, Lagos;

Also, Nsukka High School, Nsukka, Enugu; Government Technical College, Dorayi Babba Rijiyar Zaki, Gwale LGA, Kano; and Ajagbe Comprehensive High School, Iperu, Ogun state, among others.

The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, retired Brigadier-General Buba Marwa has commended the officers and men of NAIA and Lagos Commands for the arrests and seizures.

Marwa noted that the interception of the two cocaine couriers at Abuja airport was a fresh warning to those who think they can use their residence abroad as cover to traffic drugs across Nigerian borders.

He said the agency’s officers at all entry and exit points remain alert, and that there was no hiding place for anyone who chooses to risk their life and liberty by ingesting illicit drugs for a fee.

He also charged officers and men of the agency across the country to sustain the current tempo against drug cartels while not relenting in their drug demand reduction efforts.