Paris-Bound ‘Businessman’ Excretes 93 Wraps of Heroin at Abuja Airport

In a recent operation conducted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), a 40-year-old Madrid-based businessman, Sherif Egbo Ally, was apprehended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja. The arrest took place on Saturday, October 14, as Mr. Ally attempted to board an Air France flight to Paris, France. The shocking discovery was made when a body scanner revealed that he had ingested illicit drugs.

During the subsequent investigation, Mr. Ally was placed under observation at the NDLEA’s exhibit recovery room, where he excreted a staggering 93 pellets of heroin, with a total weight of 2.222 kilograms. In his statement, the suspect claimed to be involved in both legitimate employment at a chicken hatchery farm in Madrid and the illicit drug trafficking business.

This arrest was not an isolated incident. On October 16, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO imports shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, seized a consignment of 10 cartons containing 500,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, falsely branded as tapentadol. The cargo, which had been shipped from India through Qatar Airways, was purported to be a transit cargo to Monrovia, Liberia. However, collaborative efforts and real-time intelligence sharing between the NDLEA and its Liberian counterpart led to the discovery of this illegal shipment.

Another smuggling attempt was foiled when an intending passenger, Ngene Chinecherem Oscar, planned to export 11.100 kilograms of skunk and 600 grams of tramadol, concealed within foodstuffs, through the Lagos airport. NDLEA officers arrested him and seized the illicit substances.

In additional operations, NDLEA officers attached to courier companies intercepted 1 kilogram of methamphetamine concealed in containers of body cream destined for New Zealand. They also seized a consignment of 2.5 kilograms of cocaine and phenacetin hidden within the walls of a carton bound for Saudi Arabia.

Further seizures were made in Lagos, including 112 grams of Dimethyl Sulfone hidden within a motor driving shaft destined for New Zealand and 583 grams of cocaine and phenacetin packed into a bottle of body cream meant for Saudi Arabia.

In Imo state, on October 15, operatives intercepted a Mercedes Benz container truck, which led to the recovery of 168 bags of skunk weighing 1,854 kilograms.

In Edo state, a total of 1,381.3 kilograms of the same substance were seized in four separate interdiction operations. These operations took place in Ekpon community, Igueben LGA, Iguiye forest in Ovia North East LGA, Iruekpen, Ndokwa West, and Egwalor village in Onwude LGA. Several suspects were arrested in connection with these operations.

In Kano state, three individuals were arrested for being in possession of 106 kilograms of cannabis. One of them, Aminu Suleiman, was an ex-convict who had previously been arrested and convicted for drug-related offenses.

Across the country, various commands of the NDLEA continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization lectures in schools, communities, and workplaces. These efforts are part of the NDLEA’s ongoing campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse.

Commending the dedicated officers and men of the NDLEA who conducted these operations, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), emphasized the importance of vigilance and intensified efforts, especially in the face of criminal networks’ desperation to profit during the end-of-year season.

Credit: Femi Babafemi