Operatives of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State, have arrested a 44-year-old businessman for ingesting 53 wraps of pellets of cocaine.
The suspect was said to be on his way to Tehran Khomeini, Islamic Republic of Iran, when he was arrested.
The suspect, identified by the NDLEA as one Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, was arrested while trying to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 flying to Tehran Khomeini in Iran via Doha.
His arrest came barely two weeks after their counterparts at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, heading to Iran with 65 pellets of cocaine in his stomach.
According to a statement by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, after a body scan proved positive to ingestion of the illicit drug, the suspect was placed on excretion observation during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine in six excretions with a total weight of 1.172kg.
Babafemi stated that the suspect claimed to have gone into the criminal trade two years ago, moving between the West African sub-region and Iran.
The statement read in part, “Barely two weeks after operatives of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano, intercepted a 60-year-old businessman Chinedu Leonard Okigbo heading to Iran with 65 pellets of cocaine in his stomach, their counterparts at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) have arrested another businessman, 44-year-old Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian for ingesting 53 wraps of the same class A drug while on his way to Tehran Khomeini, Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Ezemokwe was arrested at the Port Harcourt airport on Saturday 7th June while trying to board Qatar Airways flight QR1434 flying to Tehran Khomeini in Iran via Doha.
“After a body scan proved positive to ingestion of the illicit drug, he was placed on excretion observation during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine in six excretions with a total weight of 1.172kg.”
