The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported the arrest of Freeman Charles Ogbonna, a passenger bound for Delhi, India, at the screening point of terminal 2 in the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Ogbonna was apprehended while attempting to board a flight to Delhi via Doha on Qatar Airways. He was found to have ingested 80 wraps of cocaine, as confirmed by a body scan and subsequent drug test.
According to Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA, preliminary investigations revealed that Ogbonna’s real identity was Freeman Charles Ogbonna.
He was placed under observation in custody, where he began to display signs of discomfort. Eventually, he started to vomit and excrete the wraps of cocaine he had ingested.
It became evident that he was struggling with the large volume of drugs in his stomach, as well as another substance taken to prevent excretion.
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Over a period of four days, Ogbonna passed a total of 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 889 grams through his mouth and anus.
He claimed that he had been recruited into drug trafficking by a relative and was promised a cash reward of N300,000 if he successfully delivered the drugs to India. Despite the grave risk to his life, Ogbonna agreed to transport the illicit substances.
In a separate incident, NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport intercepted another drug mule named Imran Taofeek Olalekan. Olalekan was traveling to Oman with a check-in luggage and a backpack.
Upon thorough search, the operatives discovered a false bottom concealment of drugs in the check-in luggage and in the walls of the backpack.
The NDLEA continues to work diligently to prevent drug trafficking and apprehend those involved in such illegal activities.
