VIDEO: NDLEA arrests Thailand returnee with N3.1billion heroin concealed in six bags at Lagos airport

In a fresh wave of interdiction operations targeting transnational drug cartels, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos have arrested a Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter for importing 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth over N3.192billion.

A statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said that Oguejiofor was arrested on Monday 7th, October 2024, while attempting to smuggle out of the airport the illicit drug concealed in six backpacks and then packed into two big suitcases.

Babafemi stated, “The 29-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra state, had left Thailand on 3rd October on Qatar Airways flight and stopped over in Doha where he spent two days before heading to Lagos while his luggage was routed to Accra, Ghana, his original destination.

“After arriving Lagos on the 5th October, he contacted the airline to reroute his luggage to Nigeria so that he can pick them up as rush bags in a bit to beat security checks. However, NDLEA officers intercepted him at the point of exit. A search of his two suitcases revealed three empty backpacks in each box with a large parcel of heroin neatly sewn to all the six backpacks. The six parcels were subsequently recovered with a gross weight of 13.30kg.

“In his statement, Oguejiofor claimed he was hired for a fee of $7,000 upon successful delivery of the parcels. He said he was to deliver two parcels in Lagos and the other four parcels in Accra, Ghana.”