Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), have intercepted two suspected drug traffickers attempting to smuggle heroin into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and Port Harcourt International Airport.
The suspects ingested the illicit substances in a desperate attempt to avoid detection but were placed under strict excretion observation by NDLEA officials. This led to the recovery of a total of 125 wraps of heroin.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, one of the suspects, Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, was arrested on February 2, 2025, at the Port Harcourt airport.
– The 30-year-old suspect was found using a Sierra Leonean passport under the alias Kargbo Mohamed Foday.
– He was caught during the inward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight from Doha via Abuja.
– A body scan confirmed he had ingested heroin, leading to his placement under surveillance.
– Over five separate excretions, he expelled 62 wraps of heroin weighing 1.348 kg.
Investigations revealed that Sylvanus is a notorious trafficker operating under dual identities and regularly shuttles between Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West Africa, smuggling drugs across international borders.
The second suspect, James Herbert Chinoso, 48, was arrested on February 1, 2025, at the Lagos airport after arriving from Madagascar via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
– Acting on intelligence reports, NDLEA officials subjected him to a body scan, which exposed his attempt to conceal heroin internally.
– Under strict surveillance, he excreted 63 wraps of heroin weighing 909 grams.
– He confessed that financial hardship following the collapse of his phone accessories business in Liberia led him into drug trafficking.
In a separate operation on February 6, 2025, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted:
– 2.82 kg of Loud (a potent synthetic strain of cannabis) smuggled from the United States and destined for Lagos.
– 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection (225 grams), concealed in cartons bound for Canada.
The NDLEA has intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking and urges the public to report suspicious activities.
