A 30-year-old Italy based businessman, Joseph Cyril, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine.
The suspect was arrested on August 2 during the outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Europe.
He was subsequently placed under observation and excreted the 98 wraps weighing 1.510 kilogrammes.
The NDLEA said Cyril had arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13 and ingested the drugs at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State.
He reportedly confessed to agreeing to traffic the consignment for €3,500 to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family lives.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives intercepted 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in 25 phone chargers destined for Saudi Arabia and another 500 grammes hidden in a backpack bound for Italy.
A separate 2.3 kilogramme consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, was also intercepted in Lagos.
In other operations, the agency recovered 1,633 kilogrammes of skunk from a truck in Ondo State and 731.03 kilogrammes from a drug warehouse in Oyo State.
At the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, NDLEA officers working with Customs and other security agencies seized 309.4 kilogrammes of cannabis infused cookies and gummies concealed in 73 cartons. A suspect, Larry Nnaji, was arrested.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved and urged them to sustain efforts against drug trafficking across the country.
