ABUJA: The officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have stopped Mr Okonkwo Isaac Ekemezie, a Nigerian based in Johannesburg, from smuggling 36.850kg of narcotic drugs to South Africa, official said.
It said the drugs were intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
According to the statement, the drugs were intercepted during the outward screening of an Ethiopian Airline flight.
It said the suspected hidden substances in Ekemezie’s luggage were field-tested and found to be methamphetamine weighing 17.700kg and ephedrine weighing 19.150kg with an estimated monetary value of N120 million.
It quoted Mr Hamisu Lawan, NDLEA Commander at the Abuja airport, as saying that the arrest came few days after the arrest of Ilo Chidera Alex with 15.850kg of cocaine concealed inside make-up brushes from Sao Paulo en route Dubai.
“Drug traffickers are always experimenting with new routes all in a bid to evade arrest by law enforcement officers.
“By our record at this airport, South Africa is not a common route for drug traffickers.
“Mr Okonkwo Isaac Ekemezie is a suspected member of a drug trafficking cartel in South Africa where he lives.
“His mission was to come to Nigeria to facilitate the export of 36.850kg of narcotic drugs to South Africa.
“The criminal action was, however, aborted because of the vigilance of our officers,” Lawan said.
The commander said that the arrest of Ekemezie was similar to that of one Fred Chuka Obi, a 49-year- old man found with 1.594kg of cocaine on his way to Tel Aviv.
“The route is not a normal route for drug traffickers.
“Mr Okonkwo Isaac Ekemezie who is 51 years old, is currently assisting narcotic investigators with relevant information to track down other members of the criminal group,”he said.
The statement said that the NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, had reiterated his determination to dismantle drug trafficking cartels in the country.
“In line with the NDLEA Act, we shall adopt measures such as coordinated preventive and repressive action against drug trafficking cartels.
“The NDLEA shall introduce investigative and control techniques aimed at preventing drugs from coming in or going out of the country at all entry and exit points,” the statement quoted Giade as saying.
