The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested some intending pilgrims to the ongoing hajj in Saudi Arabia with two hundred pellets of Cocaine.
The arrest was made when NDLEA operatives raided Emerald Hotel in Ladipo area of Oshodi in Lagos state where the suspects were lodged and were caught in the act of ingesting wraps of cocaine ahead of their flight to the holy land.
In a statement signed by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, and made available to Channel Network Afrique, CNA, identified the suspects as, 31 year old Usman Kamorudeen, 46 year old Olasunkanmi Owolabi, 38 year old Fatai Yekini and the only lady, 34 year old Ayinla Kemi.
According to the statement, the four suspects were lodged in two rooms in the hotel where they had prepared 200 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.20 kilograms to swallow when NDLEA officers stormed their rooms.
One hundred wraps of the Class A substance were recovered from each of the two rooms bringing the total seizure to 200 wraps. Two suspects were to swallow 100 wraps each.
Speaking on the major breakthrough recorded so far, the Chairman, NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa said the agency will continue to spread its dragnet to track, trace and apprehend criminal elements who may want to hide under the cover of pilgrimage to carry out their nefarious activities capable of denting Nigeria’s image.
He promised that the anti-drug agency will work with its counterparts in Saudi Arabia to ensure that the designated recipients of seized illicit drug consignments in any part of country are traced and dealt with accordingly.
The NDLEA boss however, commended the commander, officers and men of the Lagos state command for conducted the stink operation that safed the nation from international embarrassment.
