NDLEA arrests Vietnam-bound businessman for ingesting 1.7kg cocaine

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Vietnam-bound businessman, Paul Mbadugha, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after he tested positive to ingestion of cocaine.

Mr Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Spokesman disclosed this is in a statement on Sunday.

Babafemi said the 54-year-old suspect was arrested at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on Aug. 12, 2024 during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Hanoi, Vietnam via Doha.

“After four days under excretion observation, Mbadugha egested a total of 88 wraps of the illicit drug with a gross weight of 1.710kg.

“In his statement, he claimed he’s a Lagos based businessman and was given the cocaine pellets to swallow by a friend at Isolo area of the state for onward delivery in Vietnam for a fee of 2,000 dollars,” he said.

In the same vein, NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos, intercepted a shipment of Loud.

Babafemi described the drugs as a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 800g and was concealed in noodles going to Congo.

“A follow up operation at the Alaba International market, Ojo area of Lagos led to the arrest of the sender of the consignment, Nnamani Sunday Sunny, who deals in GSM handsets,”he said.

Meanwhile, a large consignment of Loud imported from Canada had been recovered by NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport.

Babafemi said that a suspect, Desalu Temitope, who arrived on board an Air France flight with six boxes was arrested by anti-narcotic officers during a joint examination by security agencies at the arrival hall.

“A total of 65.80kg of the psychoactive substance were recovered from four of the six suitcases.

”In his statement, Desalu said he and an accomplice currently at large were promised 10,000 dollars upon successful delivery of the shipment in Lagos,” he said.