NDLEA arrests Nigerian businessman for smuggling 700 grammes of cocaine

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 59-year-old Nigerian businessman, Ezeokoli Sylva, for allegedly smuggling 700 grammes of cocaine concealed in his stomach.

The arrest took place on Friday, November 29, 2024, at the E-Arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.

Sylva, who had lived in Brazil for 35 years, was returning to Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from São Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said a body scan conducted by NDLEA officials revealed foreign objects in Sylva’s stomach, which were later confirmed to be cocaine.

“As a result, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 29 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine, weighing 700 grammes,” Babafemi added.

Sylva claimed he intended to sell the drugs in Nigeria to boost his business.

Babafemi said, “In his statement, the suspect claimed he operates an African store in Brazil where he sells provisions, shoes, and clothes. He added that he bought the illicit consignment in São Paulo to resell in Nigeria to raise substantial capital to boost his business.”

Additionally, Babafemi revealed that two consignments containing cocaine and pentazocine injections, en route to the United Kingdom via a courier company in Lagos, were intercepted on November 26.

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“The cocaine, weighing 200 grammes, was concealed in local fabrics, while 40 ampoules of pentazocine injection, weighing 110 grammes, were hidden in cartons,” he said.

In Kano, on November 28, NDLEA operatives arrested three suspects—Jamilu Adamu, 38; Umar Musa, 32; and Bunu Ali, 27—with 2,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 3,135,000 Exol-5 pills at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria Road.

Babafemi also mentioned that a strong strain of cannabis, known as Ghanaian Loud, was recovered at Ilesan Beach in Lagos.

He said, “No fewer than 2,120 kilogrammes of Ghanaian Loud were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at Ilesan Beach, Lagos, on Thursday, November 28. A suspect, Onibogi Muftau, was arrested in connection with the seizure, while four vehicles that were to convey the shipments from the waterfront were also recovered.

“This came on the heels of the seizure of 472 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance at Idi-Iroko, Imeko area of Ogun State, on Monday, November 25,” the statement added, among other interceptions.