Three Nigerian Cocaine Smugglers Arrested at Lagos Airport (Photos)

 

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said their agents arrested three suspects who attempted to courier cocaine through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

 

According to the NDLEA, one of the suspects had concealed cocaine inside the sole of his shoes while the other two reportedly tested positive for ingesting illicit drugs and subsequently excreted narcotics.
 

 

NDLEA spokesman, Mitchell Ofoyeju, informed reporters that the first suspect, Paul Ifechukwu Mbatugosi, 32 years old, was caught with 1.95 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside shoe soles. Mr. Ofoyeju disclosed that the consignment of shoes where the cocaine was concealed most likely originated from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
 

The NDLEA’s statement revealed that, before venturing into drug smuggling, Mr. Mbatugosi used to sell shoes in Enugu. He added that another suspect, Ugochukwu Godson Adugba, 34, ingested 1.50 kilograms of cocaine on his way to Sydney, Australia. The third, Friday Dominic Onuoha, 42, ingested 850 grams of cocaine from Brazil.

The NDLEA spokesman revealed that agents were still investigating all the suspects prior to charging them to court.
Speaking on the arrests, the NDLEA’s commander at the Lagos Airport, Ahmadu Garuba, confirmed that one of the suspects concealed the drugs inside shoe soles while the two ingested wraps of cocaine.

 

The NDLEA said Mr. Mbatugosi told interrogators that a friend he met in Brazil had introduced him to drug trafficking. According to the agency, the suspect stated,

“After my graduation from Technical College in my home town, Ihiala, Anambra State in 2002, I went to Enugu where I was selling shoes. In 2015, I travelled to Brazil in search of better opportunities. However, while in Brazil, I worked as a barber to earn a living. After a year and three months in Brazil, I was disappointed because I had no savings. So I decided that I will get some money and be exporting shoes to Nigeria. It was in the process of looking for start-up capital that a friend introduced me into drug trafficking. My friend bought the shoes and prepared the drugs inside 13 pairs. This is my first time and I was caught.”