The Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended an ex-convict named Onyeka Madukolu at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for allegedly imported 5.90 kilograms of cocaine into the country.
This is revealed in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the agency Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said the drugs were hidden in cans of deodorants and ladies’ lip gloss and were imported into Nigeria.
He added that the suspect was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in Ethiopia for drug-related offences and released from prison in 2020.
Mr Babafemi disclosed that Madukolu was again arrested on Friday at the Lagos airport on his return from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
According to him, “During a preliminary interview, the suspect claimed to have gone into the drug business to raise fresh capital to start a legitimate business after his release from an Ethiopian prison in 2020.
“The father of two kids, one each from a Nigerian woman and a Brazilian lady, said he was into motor spare parts business before going into the criminal trade.
“The 44-year old indigene of Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State said he was expecting to be paid N2 million on the successful delivery of the illicit drug in Nigeria.”