The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Special Area Command, Abuja has uncovered two new methods drug traffickers adopt to evade the prying eyes of law enforcement personnel.
Spokesman of the agency, Jonah Acheme disclosed in a statement that the new methods were uncovered in two separate operations at the airport, leading to the seizure of 14.4 kilograms of Cocaine.
“In the first operation, the Command intercepted a consignment of four packets of chocolate sweets of white substances which tested positive to Cocaine weighing 7.2 kilograms while in the second operation it uncovered 12 parcels of cellophane wrappers with whitish substances which also tested positive to Cocaine weighing another 7.2 kilograms.
“The first operation involved Da Silva Mailson Mario, a Brazilian aged 23 who was arrested with a suit case containing the packets of the chocolate sweet during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline ET 911 which originated from Brazil en-route Addis Ababa to Abuja.
“The second operation involved Elechi Adindu Kingsley, a Nigerian aged 39 who was arrested with a bag containing cellophane bags during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight Et 911,” the agency said.
The statement also explained that Mario who spoke through an interpreter decided to be silent on all questions put to him.
“He was only inquisitive about the jail terms his alleged offence may attract in Nigeria,” the statement said.
But Kingsley, an indigene of Umulolo Local Government Area of Imo State who has been living in Brazil for the past 13 years said he would not blame anybody for his involvement.
“I am an adult and I am fully aware of what I was going into. I agree that somebody gave it to me but I offered to carry it”, Kingsley who was promised N3 million upon safe delivery of the drugs to somebody in Nigeria said.
According to him, he was in Nigeria preparatory to his wedding in January 2021.
Also speaking on the discovery of these new modes of concealment, Commander of NDLEA Abuja Airport Command, Kabir Sani Tsakuwa said there is no underestimating the imagination of drug merchants.
“What is expected of us is not only to counter their devices but to think ahead of them. As we can see, any step they take, we are many steps ahead, hence the results we are seeing. I wish to promise them more frustration,” he said.
