NDLEA Nabs Two Paris-bound Men After They Swallow 200 Cocaine Wraps at Abuja Airport

Two Nigerian men living in Europe have been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency after attempting to smuggle 3.46 kilograms of cocaine concealed in their stomachs on a flight from Abuja to Paris.

Aliocus Godian Odife, 51, from Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, and Sam Blackborn, 56, from Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, were intercepted on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, during outward clearance for Air France flight AF 832 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, both men had returned to Nigeria for short holidays before trying to fly back to Europe with the drugs inside their bodies.

Odife, who said he lives in France and works in a factory, arrived in the country on 21 October.

Body scans at the departure hall revealed foreign objects in his stomach. Under questioning he admitted swallowing 110 pellets of cocaine. Placed under observation, he excreted all 110 wraps, which tested positive for the Class A drug and weighed 1.901 kilograms.

Blackborn was stopped on the same flight after his body scan also returned positive. He confessed to ingesting 90 pellets. Under observation he excreted the entire consignment, which weighed 1.559 kilograms and also tested positive for cocaine. The two seizures totalled 200 wraps.

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NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) described the interception as a clear warning.

He said living abroad offers no protection for those who traffic drugs through Nigerian borders and reminded potential couriers that swallowing illicit substances risks both their lives and their freedom. Agency operatives at the country’s entry and exit points remain on high alert, he added.

The arrests form part of ongoing operations that have also yielded significant seizures of cannabis and other substances in different parts of the country. The two suspects remain in custody as investigations continue.