NDLEA nabs 67-year-old grandmother with 13kg cocaine concealed in plantain peels

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Mary Barek, a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in fake plantain peels through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson said the suspect, a caregiver based in the United Kingdom, was intercepted at the departure terminal of the airport on June 28 while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.

According to the agency, officers who searched her luggage recovered 31 large parcels of cocaine carefully packaged to resemble hands of plantain and hidden among food items.

Babafemi said the suspect admitted ownership of the illicit consignment during interrogation.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, over an alleged attempt to export cocaine concealed in cartons of Orijin Bitters to Kuala Lumpur.

The agency said Onyeka was arrested in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State after investigations identified him as the alleged leader of a drug trafficking syndicate.

Investigators had earlier intercepted 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.8 kilograms hidden inside the walls of nine cartons of the herbal drink packed for export to Malaysia.

Four other suspects, including a cargo agent, a driver, a trader and a supplier of the cartons used for concealment, were arrested during the investigation before Onyeka was traced to his hometown in Anambra.

The anti-narcotics agency also announced several arrests and seizures in different parts of the country.

In Taraba State, operatives arrested Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area, recovering 43,980 capsules of Tramadol hidden inside specially modified vehicle fuel tanks.

In Kaduna State, two suspects were arrested during a raid in Gwantu Local Government Area with 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.

In Ebonyi State, officers recovered 231.7 kilograms of skunk from a 65-year-old suspect arrested in Ikwo, while another suspect was apprehended in Plateau State with 15 kilograms of the same substance.

The agency also reported the arrest of two suspects in Gombe State with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms.

Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse campaign through awareness programmes in schools, workplaces, religious centres and communities across the country.

Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain the fight against illicit drug trafficking while intensifying public enlightenment campaigns.