NDLEA makes largest cocaine seizure at Abuja airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Command, Abuja has intercepted 21.9 kilograms of cocaine.

Principal Staff Officer, Public Affairs, of the Agency, Jonah Achema, who revealed this in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said the illicit substance, concealed in two suitcases, is the largest single seizure by the Command.

Achema, a Deputy Commander of Narcotics, said the two unaccompanied and unclaimed suitcases were discovered after the arrival of an Ethiopian Airline plane, ET 910, in Abuja from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Name tags attached to the bags indicated one belonged to Akomaye Ife and the other to Nze Lusaka U.

The statement reads, “During the inward clearance of the flight, the vigilant officers of the Command became suspicious upon noticing that the two briefcases were abandoned on the conveyor belt without any of the passengers claiming them. The NDLEA commander directed the officers to keep an eye on the suit cases.

“After a few days of not claiming the luggage, the commander formally contacted the station Manager of Ethiopian Airline and NAHCO Aviance being the handler for the Airline, indicating the suspicion of the Agency of the suitcases and placed a standing order that NDLEA should be invited before the luggage would be released to the owner or in the event that the luggage would be returned to the point of embarkation.

“After many weeks of no claim by the owners, the Commander informed the airline of the need for a search to be conducted on the unclaimed suitcases.

“The first unclaimed suitcase was searched and found with three blankets out of which two contained a parcel of transparent nylon which housed whitish substances suspected to be hard drugs. Field test proved positive for cocaine and weighed 10.750kg. The suit case had a baggage tag with a name AKAMONYE IFE.”

“The second unclaimed suitcase contained 22 packet shirts, one parcel of drug was concealed in each of the shirts and covered with a blue carbon paper containing a transparent nylon. The substance was also field tested and proved positive for cocaine and weighed 11.150kg. The second suit case had a baggage tag with a name NZE LUSAKA U. The drug seized made a total of 21.9kg.”