By Ifeanyi Okolie

A 26-year-old man has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for attempting to export over 1.550kg of cocaine into New Delhi, Indian.  The suspect (names withheld) was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, during the outward screening of passengers on Ethiopian Airline.

Sources disclosed to Vanguard that the agency had, in recent times, highlighted   the  Nigeria-Indian route  as a hotbed for drug traffickers and have since beamed it  searchlight on the route.  

Speaking on the arrest the NDLEA’s Commander at the airport, Alhaji Hamza Umar, said the seized drug was intelligently concealed in the suspect’s travelling luggage.

Mr. Hamza said  four other  suspects were arrested in the month of May,  with 5.365kg of illicit drugs, which included 2.865kg of cocaine, 200 grammes methamphetamine and 2.300kg heroin.

He said: “The drug was detected by officers at the luggage checking desk at the departure wing of the airport on routine checks. It took careful search by the officers to detect the drugs.

“They suspected that the bag he was carrying  contained narcotics.”