Forty-three suspected drug traffickers have been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos as the agency records 4,668.880 kilograms worth of drugs seizure.
These drugs include, cocaine, heroin, Methaphitamine, ephedrine, cannabis sativa, phenacetin and psychotropic substances.
Suspected traffickers arrested are 38 males and 5 females.
Briefing newsmen of the activities of the Agency between January this year till date in Lagos, NDLEA Lagos Airport Commander, Ahmadu Garba said Tramadol had the highest quantity of seizure of 4,449.9, followed by ephedrine with 119.46, Methaphitamine 42.88, cocaine and heroin mixture 6.260, cocaine 16.06, phenacetin 11.18, cannabis Sativa 15.64 and psychotropic substances 35.10 kilograms.
According to him, this is a great achievement for the agency and looking forward to more break through in arrest and seizures of illicit drugs at the airport.
” It is promising, we will surpass what we did last year, it has quadrupled what we did last year, we have done well and we feel its important to tell you”.
Garba however expressed concern over the use of airport workers such as cleaners, airline staff and others by traffickers to perpetrate their evil business, adding that this has been happening but now, it has become more pronounced
“That is why we encourage them(companies at the airport) to pay their staff well because some of them come from far places and also to do periodic vetting of staff and before employing them”.
Also parading some of the bags and other items used for the concealment of seized drugs which include public address system, traveling luggage, containers of spices, noodle carton etc, the NDLEA Lagos airport boss noted other mode of concealment employ by the traffickers includes force bottom, foodstuffs, artworks books among others.
” the barons now employ foreign nationals to do their dirty job for them, between January till date, we have arrested Mozambicans, Ghanaians, Congolese and South Africans, we have also found found and close down 13 clandestine laboratory where meth are produce, ephedrine is a precursor for meth”.
“by training, everyday we get passenger information, we do our profiling and I have quite a number of officers that are exposed to some levels of training, they know how to profile and they know what to look for and we have a targeting list before the passengers even get to the airport”.
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