A businessman, Orizu Ifeanyi Arthur, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja for attempting to smuggle 74 wraps of heroin and cocaine by ingesting them. Arthur was preparing to board an Air France flight to Paris when he was stopped during routine security checks. Although he initially refused a body scan, citing medical reasons, he was later detained for further observation.
After seven days of monitoring, Arthur excreted the drugs. He explained that he had been promised €3,000 for delivering the narcotics to Paris. Arthur, who runs a shop in Lagos’ Balogun Market selling school and travel bags, claimed that he was unaware of the full extent of the operation and was simply paid to transport the drugs.
In a separate operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted two boats at Eleko Beach in Lekki, Lagos, which were found to be carrying a large quantity of illicit drugs. The boats contained a total of 1,960 kilograms of “Ghanaian Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, destined for distribution.
Six foreign nationals were arrested during this operation. The suspects included two Ghanaians and four Beninese nationals, who were involved in the trafficking of the drugs. The authorities are continuing their investigation into the larger drug trafficking network that these individuals may be part of.
These incidents highlight the ongoing efforts of Nigerian authorities to combat the flow of illegal drugs, both within the country and internationally. The arrests are part of a broader strategy to disrupt drug trafficking and reduce the availability of illicit substances in the region.
