The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a 42-year-old Indian lady at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, with 72 parcels of heroin.

A statement by NDLEA’s director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja said the prohibited substances were factory-sealed in wafer wraps and packaged as chocolates.

Mr Babafemi said the class A drug consignment weighing 11 kilogrammes was recovered from her luggage after a thorough search.

He said this followed credible intelligence during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha at the arrival hall of the Kano airport on Friday, March 14.

Mr Babafemi said the arrest of the suspect signified a growing attempt by drug trafficking organisations to hire white ladies and foreign nationals to move illicit drugs through the Nigerian borders.

“A bid that vigilant NDLEA operatives have consistently frustrated with the aid of modern technological tools and proactive intelligence,“ he said.

In another interdiction operation in Kano, NDLEA officers on Thursday, March 20, arrested a 45-year-old male suspect with a 50-litre steel gas cylinder at Gadar Tamburawa, along Zaria- Kano road.

“Based on credible intelligence, welding tools were later used to cut the giant cylinder, after which 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in it were extracted.

“Meanwhile, a 40-year-old male was nabbed at Gunduwawa area of Kano on Wednesday, March 19, with 27kg skunk, a strain of cannabis,” he said.

Mr Babafemi said another female suspect was arrested with 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup in theLungun Bulala Yalwa area of the state on Tuesday.

He said operatives arrested two male suspects with 67.5kg skunk in Mushin, Lagos State, and 100.8kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered from the store of two fleeing suspects in the Anifowoshe area of Mushin.

“Another suspect was also arrested in Apapa with 4.5kg skunk, 600 grammes of tramadol 225mg, and 30 litres of codeine syrup on Tuesday.

“Another suspect also was arrested the same day in the Ikotun area of the state with different quantities of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine,“ he said.

Mr Babafemi said NDLEA commands and formations nationwide continued to intensify their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy sensitisation.

He quoted the NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, as commending the officers and men of MAKIA, Lagos, and Kano commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures.

(NAN)