The NDLEA has arrested a 67-year-old woman after discovering cocaine concealed inside fake plantains during a nationwide anti-drug operation.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the elderly suspect was among several people arrested in coordinated operations that uncovered large quantities of illicit drugs across Nigeria. The agency also intercepted a 30-year-old suspect on the Zaki-Biam Road in Taraba State with 43,980 tramadol capsules hidden inside two vehicle fuel tanks.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi said:
“A thorough search of her bags resulted in the discovery of 31 big wraps of cocaine which were packaged to appear like plantain hands, weighing a total of 13 kilograms. In her statement, the elderly woman admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits.”
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects and recovered 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine. Officers also seized 231.7 kilograms of skunk in Ebonyi State and arrested a 75-year-old suspect in Plateau State with 15 kilograms of the drug. In Gombe State, two suspects were caught with 556 kilograms of cannabis sativa.
The agency said the arrests formed part of its ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking, while its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued with awareness programmes in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities across the country.
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa praised the successful operations and urged officers to sustain the fight against illicit drug trafficking nationwide.
