- Says reason is “To Save Failing Business’
November 24, 2024
By Samuel Ogunsona
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old businessman, Christian Iheanacho, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu for ingesting 90 wraps of cocaine.
According to the NDLEA, Iheanacho was apprehended during inbound passenger screening upon arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
The suspect, who operates a phone and accessories business in Lagos and Gabon, Central Africa, claimed that he ingested the cocaine to save his failing business. “He desperately needed the proceeds from the criminal drug trade to revive his declining phone and accessories business,” the NDLEA stated.
The agency made significant seizures of illicit drugs in an efforts to combat drug trafficking in Nigeria.
According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, the agency seized two containers of opioids imported into the country, with an estimated street value of N4.3 billion.
The containers were intercepted at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers, during a joint examination with officers from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies.
“A total of 168,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth One Billion One Hundred and Seventy-Six Million Naira (N1,176,000,000) only in street value, were recovered from one of the containers,” Babafemi said.
The second container held 4,500,000 pills of super royal tramadol 225mg, valued at Three Billion One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N3,150,000,000) only.
This brings the combined value of both the codeine and tramadol consignments to Four Billion Three Hundred and Twenty-Six Million Naira (N4,326,000,000) only.
In addition to the opioid seizures, the NDLEA also arrested a 50-year-old businessman, Osuoha Iheanacho, who allegedly ingested 90 wraps of cocaine at the arrival hall of Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu. Iheanacho, who had been under surveillance for three months, was going through inbound passenger screening upon arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight when he was apprehended.
“He was subsequently placed on excretion observation during which he egested 90 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.019 kilograms in seven excretions,” Babafemi said.
Investigation reveals that Iheanacho, who operates a phone and accessories business in Lagos and Gabon, Central Africa, travelled by road from Gabon to Douala, Cameroon, from where he took a flight to Addis Ababa, where he swallowed the pellets of cocaine while in transit.
The NDLEA also made several other arrests and seizures across the country, including the recovery of 64 kilograms of cannabis sativa at Akinyele Motor Park, Ibadan, Oyo State, and the seizure of 1,200.5 kilograms of psychoactive substances in parts of Edo State.
