The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 34-year-old South African woman with 36.65kg of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and a 62-year-old Nigerian-American woman over the alleged importation of 9.45kg of cannabis from the United States.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the South African suspect, Qhina Beauty, was arrested on October 7 while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.
A search of her two travel bags uncovered 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg. The drugs were wrapped in cellophane tape, packed into seven parcels and concealed with dried pepper.
The agency said Beauty told investigators that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to collect the consignment.
“She said she was recruited by another South African lady, who promised her R20,000 on successful delivery. She claimed she was introduced to two other members of the syndicate: one based in the United States and the other a Lagos-based car dealer,” the agecy said.
Further investigations led to the arrest of a 46-year-old car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, on October 14 at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following surveillance at his residence in Shasha.
The NDLEA said Umunnakwe admitted receiving Beauty at the airport, arranging her accommodation at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and later moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Anetor Gloria Ubong, a 62-year-old realtor based in Richmond, Texas, after she arrived at the Lagos airport aboard a United Airlines flight from Houston on October 21.
The agency said a search of her two checked-in boxes uncovered 18 parcels of a cannabis strain known as loud, weighing 9.45kg. The drugs were concealed with gift-wrapping paper inside one of the boxes.
Ubong, who holds Nigerian and United States passports, allegedly told investigators that her daughter and future son-in-law’s brother had delivered the box to her home in the US for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.
