The personnel of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended four intending pilgrims as they planned to ingest wraps of cocaine ahead of their flight on Wednesday.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, described how the arrest was made, stating that its agents raided the Emerald Hotel in the Ladipo area of Oshodi, Lagos State, where some of the prospective pilgrims were lodged.
Those arrested during the operation are Usman Kamorudeen, 31; Olasunkanmi Owolabi, 46; Fatai Yekini, 38; and a woman named Ayinla Kemi, 34.
When NDLEA agents raided their rooms, the four suspects were in two rooms at the hotel, where they had prepared 200 cocaine pellets weighing 2.20 kilogrammes for swallowing.
One hundred wraps of the Class A substance were discovered in each of the two rooms, bringing the total seized cocaine to 200 wraps. Two suspects each had to swallow 100 wraps.
Commending the Commander, officers, and men of the NDLEA's Lagos state Command for conducting the operation, the Agency's Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohamed Marwa (Retd), stated that the agency will continue to spread its dragnet to track, trace, and apprehend criminal elements who may want to hide under pilgrimage to carry out their nefarious activities capable of tarnishing the country's image.
The NDLEA chief further assured that “the Agency will work with our counterparts in Saudi Arabia to ensure that the designated recipients of seized illicit drug consignments in any part of Saudi Arabia are also traced and dealt with accordingly.”
