The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has apprehended two suspected drug traffickers at Port Harcourt International Airport and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, who collectively excreted 125 wraps of heroin.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that one of the suspects, Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, was caught at the Port Harcourt airport on February 2, 2025.
Sylvanus, 30, was traveling under a false identity using a Sierra Leonean passport with the name “Kargbo Mohamed Foday.”
“He was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha via Abuja,” Babafemi revealed.
“A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, and under observation, he excreted 62 wraps of heroin weighing 1.348 kilograms in five sessions.”
Further investigations showed that Sylvanus had been using both his Nigerian and Sierra Leonean passports to traffic drugs across Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and West Africa. He allegedly confessed to joining the drug trade full-time in 2017 after his clothing and shoe business failed.
The second suspect, James Chinoso, 48, was arrested at Lagos airport on February 1, 2025, upon arrival from Madagascar via Ethiopia.
“A body scan confirmed he had illicit drugs in his system. Under observation, he excreted 63 wraps of heroin weighing 909 grams,” Babafemi said.
Chinoso reportedly traveled from Lagos to Madagascar on January 26, 2025, returning a week later. He claimed financial struggles forced him into drug trafficking after his phone accessories business in Liberia collapsed.
In addition to these arrests, NDLEA operatives on February 6 intercepted 2.82 kilograms of Loud, a high-potency synthetic cannabis variant, smuggled from the United States and destined for Lagos.
That same day, officers uncovered an attempt to ship 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection (225 grams) to Canada through a logistics company in Lagos.
In Kano, a February 3 operation led to the arrest of Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, both 23, who were caught transporting 15,396 tramadol pills hidden inside a gas cylinder at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria Road.
Another raid in Sabon Gari resulted in the arrest of Chioma Okeke, 35, with 27 blocks of skunk (15 kg of cannabis).
Further crackdowns were recorded on February 8, when NDLEA officers intercepted 12,800 tramadol 250mg pills along the Kabba-Obajana Highway in Kogi State, leading to the arrest of 33-year-old Salisu Basiru.
That same day, operatives recovered 65 parcels of Colorado (1.6 kg of synthetic cannabis) from Rufai Hassan, 32, at a checkpoint in Jigawa State.
NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug syndicates operating across the country. “We will continue to intensify our efforts to combat drug trafficking networks and ensure that those involved face the full weight of the law,” Babafemi stated.
