November 29, (THEWILL) – Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a businesswoman who ingested 80 pellets of cocaine.
The businesswoman, ìdè tofoed as Mrs Olayinka Adisa, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while on her way to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah (lesser Hajj).
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, stated on Monday in Abuja that Adisa, 46, lives in Ibafo, Ogun state and hails from Ilorin.
“She was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 24 at the boarding screening area of the airport during an outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight 1418.
“She was subsequently taken into custody where she excreted 80 pellets of the illicit drug between Wednesday and Saturday.
“She claimed during interrogation that she saved N2.5million over a period of one year to buy the drugs in bits from six different people at Akala, Mushin area of Lagos,” Babafemi said.
Babafemi added that the suspect said she is a clothes trader but had to borrow N1 million from three persons to make the botched trip.
“She spent another N1 million to renew her passport, obtain visa and buy return flight tickets.
“She said she was encouraged to traffic the drugs by a woman she met during her last Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia in 2019.
“She said she needed to raise N7 million for In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment due to pressure from people because she’s been married for 28 years without a child due to fertility challenges.”
Meanwhile, another trafficker, Inusa Abdulrazaki, was arrested with 101 wraps of heroin weighing 1.3 kilograms on Friday, November 19.
Abdulrazaki was arrested at the Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on his way to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.
“The drugs were concealed inside cassava flour popularly called `Gari. On Nov. 20, NDLEA operatives at the airport intercepted an abandoned consignment of khat 17.90kg,” Babafemi said.
