Kehinde Fajobi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) a has intercepted drug consignments worth ₦4.4 billion hidden in the lavatories of an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the illicit drugs were discovered on October 29, 2024, during the post-landing cleaning of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET900, which had arrived in Lagos from Addis Ababa.
Babafemi revealed, “The attempt by members of an international drug syndicate operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, and Nigeria to smuggle into Lagos a total of 845 wraps of cocaine weighing 18.72 kilogrammes has been thwarted, with the consignments recovered by NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja.”
He detailed that the cocaine, with an estimated street value of ₦4,492,800,000, was found in nine polythene bags concealed in the waste collectors of the two rear lavatories of the aircraft.
Following the discovery, NDLEA operatives, alerted by the airline’s cleaning staff, detained at least 30 individuals for questioning in connection with the drugs.
Babafemi added that investigations had revealed the cocaine had been transported from Brazil to Ethiopia by a group of couriers who ingested and excreted the drugs in Addis Ababa.
The drugs were then placed on flight ET900 to be smuggled into Nigeria, but the NDLEA’s collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines and other airport authorities disrupted this attempt.
In related operations, NDLEA officers also blocked other trafficking attempts through Lagos courier companies, where cocaine, cannabis, and tramadol, concealed in body cream containers and artwork, were destined for Australia, the UAE, and the UK.
These seizures were part of operations conducted by the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation on October 28.
Additionally, Babafemi disclosed that NDLEA operatives at the Apapa seaport in Lagos intercepted 754,000 pills of tapentadol and acetaminophen 225 mg valued at ₦525 million in a container from India.
The container, previously watch-listed, was seized in coordination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on October 29, 2024.