The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Special Area Command, Abuja has uncovered two new methods of trafficking drugs adopted by traffickers to evade the prying eyes of law enforcement personnel.
In a press statement signed by the Agency’s Public Relations Officer Deputy Commander of Narcotics DCN Jonah Achema and made available to Journalists on Wednesday said the new methods were uncovered in two separate operations at the Airport, leading to the seizure of 14.4 kilograms of Cocaine.
He added that 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.
According to the statement, 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.
While the second operation involved Elechi Adendu Kingsley, a Nigerian aged 39 who was arrested with a bag containing cellophane bags during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight Et 911.
Achema , disclosed that Mario who spoke through an interpreter decided to be silent on all questions put to him, saying the Suspect was only inquisitive about the jail terms his alleged offence may attract in Nigeria.
However , 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”. said he was promised N3 Million upon safe delivery of the drugs to somebody in Nigeria.
According to him, he was in Nigeria preparatory to his wedding in January, 2021.
Speaking on the discovery of these new modes of concealment, Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, Commander of NDLEA Abuja Airport Command 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 frustrations” He vowed.