The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 52-year-old businessman at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, for drug trafficking.

This is contained in a statement on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi.

Mr Babafemi said the arrest came after 127 wraps of cocaine concealed in his private part and stomach had been recovered after days of excretion observation.

He said the suspect, who operated boutiques in Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra, was taken into NDLEA custody upon his arrival from Bangkok, Thailand.

Mr Babafemi said this was via Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 on Wednesday, following credible intelligence.

He added that the suspected drug trafficker was taken for a body scan, which confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs and had some concealed in his private part.

“A total of 58 wraps of cocaine were immediately recovered from his pants, after which he was taken for excretion observation, during which he egested 69 pellets of cocaine in seven excretions.

“This brings the total number of wraps of the class A drug recovered from him to 127, weighing 1.388 kilogrammes,” he said.

Meanwhile, three consignments of illicit drugs heading to the United Kingdom were intercepted on Thursday and Friday at a courier company in Lagos by NDLEA operatives.

Mr Babafemi said one of the shipments, 1.74 kg of methamphetamine, was recovered from blocks of glass ceramics, while another shipment contained 114 grammes and 168 grammes of pentazocine and tramadol injections, respectively.

He said the third consignment contained 48 grammes of tramadol capsules concealed in a vitamin C container, all going to the UK.

Also, the NDLEA operatives had foiled bids by another set of criminal syndicates to ship 2.6kg of skunk and 422 grammes of tapentadol 250mg.

Mr Babafemi said the drugs, which were concealed in tablets of black soap, were heading to Turkey, adding that 169 grammes of cocaine hidden in a lady’s handbags going to Australia was recovered.

He said 568 grammes of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis concealed in containers of herbs, going to the United Arab Emirates, was also recovered by NDLEA operatives at some courier companies in Lagos.

(NAN)