NDLEA arrests Nigerian-British grandmother at Lagos airport with 13kg cocaine disguised as plantains
A 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in packages designed to look like plantains.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement issued on Sunday, saying the suspect, identified as Mary Yetunde Barek, was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
According to the NDLEA, officers discovered 31 large wraps of cocaine weighing 13 kilograms hidden inside fake plantain peels and packed alongside other food items in the suspect’s luggage during a thorough baggage search conducted on June 28.
The agency said Barek, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, admitted ownership of the illicit consignment during interrogation.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA arrested a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, identified as Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, over the alleged trafficking of 5.8 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside the walls of nine cartons of Orijin Bitters destined for Kuala Lumpur.
The agency said four suspects were initially arrested in Lagos before investigations led operatives to Onyeka in Anambra State, where he was identified as the alleged leader of the drug trafficking syndicate.
The NDLEA also announced a series of arrests and drug seizures across the country as part of its ongoing nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.
In Taraba State, operatives arrested Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, after recovering 43,980 capsules of tramadol concealed inside two vehicle fuel tanks.
In Kaduna State, Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, were arrested with 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In Ebonyi State, Francis Ifara Eja, 65, was apprehended with 231.7 kilograms of skunk, while in Gombe State, Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, were arrested with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms.
The agency also disclosed that a 75-year-old suspect, Alhaji Babani, was arrested in Plateau State with 15 kilograms of skunk.
The NDLEA said the operations underscore its sustained efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks, intercept illicit narcotics, and prosecute offenders across Nigeria.
