Thailand returnee arrested with N3.1billion heroin at Lagos airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says it has arrested a Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter for importing 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth over N3.192billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.

Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said it was in a fresh wave of interdiction operations targeting transnational drug cartels.

Babafemi added the operatives at three seaports intercepted large consignments of opioids with a combined monetary value of N22,740,958,000.

According to the statement, 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 said 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.

The Spokesman said after arriving Lagos on the 5th October, the suspect 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. 

The statement indicated that, however, NDLEA officers intercepted him at the point of exit. 

Babafemi said 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.

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, the Spokesman said.