JUST IN: NDLEA Arrests Hajj Pilgrims with Cocaine in Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended several individuals intending to participate in the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, after they were found in possession of cocaine at a hotel in Lagos.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, anti-narcotics operatives conducted a raid on the Emerald Hotel in the Ladipo area of Oshodi, Lagos State. The suspects, who were preparing to board flights to the holy land, were caught ingesting wraps of cocaine.

The operation led to the arrest of four individuals: Usman Kamorudeen, 31; Olasunkanmi Owolabi, 46; Fatai Yekini, 38; and Ayinla Kemi, 34. These suspects were found in two rooms within the hotel, with 200 pellets of cocaine, weighing 2.20 kilograms, ready to be swallowed.

The NDLEA recovered 100 wraps of the Class A substance from each room, indicating that two of the suspects planned to ingest 100 wraps each.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd), chairman and chief executive of the NDLEA, praised the Lagos State command for their successful operation. He emphasized the agency’s commitment to tracking and apprehending individuals attempting to use pilgrimage as a cover for drug trafficking, thus protecting the country’s image.

“The agency will work with our counterparts in Saudi Arabia to ensure that the designated recipients of seized illicit drug consignments in any part of Saudi Arabia are also traced and dealt with accordingly,” Marwa added.