The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mary Yetunde Barek, for allegedly smuggling 13 kilograms of cocaine disguised as plantains through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that Barek, who works as a caregiver in the UK, was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal 2 while boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on June 28. A search of her luggage uncovered 31 large wraps of cocaine molded to resemble plantain hands and packed alongside other food items. She has reportedly admitted ownership of the drugs.
In a separate case, operatives arrested a 45-year-old PhD student, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, in Ekwusigo, Anambra State, after uncovering 5.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside cartons of Origin bitters bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Investigators say four other suspects, including a cargo agent and a trader, were arrested in Lagos in connection with the same syndicate before Onyeka was tracked down hiding in his home village.
The NDLEA also reported a string of other seizures across the country between July 1 and July 4: nearly 44,000 Tramadol capsules hidden in vehicle fuel tanks in Taraba State; 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine recovered in Kaduna State; 231.7 kilograms of skunk seized in Ebonyi State; 15 kilograms of skunk found on a 75-year-old suspect in Plateau State; and 556 kilograms of cannabis intercepted in Gombe State.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved and urged personnel nationwide to sustain the momentum in drug supply reduction efforts alongside public sensitisation campaigns.
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