A 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after 4.80kg of cocaine was allegedly recovered from his luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The NDLEA said Tunde was arre£sted on September 27 at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
According to the agency, 16 parcels of cocaine were allegedly concealed in eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, while another 195 wraps were reportedly hidden in the railings of four travelling bags.
During interrogation, Tunde allegedly told operatives that he paid N16 million for the cocaine found in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was meant to be delivered to a partner in Italy.
He reportedly said the money came from compensation he received after losing the tips of two fingers in an injur¥ sustained while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy.
The NDLEA also reported other major drug seizures at ports in Lagos and Rivers, including more than 1.2 tonnes of Canadian l0ud, 124kg of Thai l0ud and 109,600 bottles of cod£ine-based cough syrup.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain intelligence-driven efforts against dr4g trafficking networks.
