Nigerian Businessman Caught Red-Handed at Enugu Airport with 90 Wraps of Cocaine, Claims He Did It to Save Failing Business

Nigerian Businessman Caught Red-Handed at Enugu Airport with 90 Wraps of Cocaine, Claims He Did It to Save Failing Business

In a shocking incident, a 50-year-old Nigerian businessman, Osuoha Christian Iheanacho, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, for ingesting 90 wraps of cocaine. The suspect, who reportedly sells phones and their accessories in Lagos and Gabon, was intercepted on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at the arrival hall of the Enugu airport during the inbound screening of passengers arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

According to the NDLEA, Osuoha had been under surveillance for months, and his arrest was the culmination of a well-coordinated operation. The suspect had traveled by road from Gabon to Douala, Cameroon, from where he took a flight to Addis Ababa, where he ingested the pellets of cocaine while in transit. He then continued his journey to Enugu, with Lagos as his final destination.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy, revealed that Osuoha was placed on excretion observation, during which he egested 90 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.019 kilograms in seven excretions. The suspect claimed that he desperately needed the money from the criminal drug trade to boost his declining phone and accessories business.

In a related development, the NDLEA also announced the arrest of the head of a cocaine distribution cartel, 42-year-old Ndive Maxwell Obinna, along with five of his associates at Ago Palace Way in Okota, Isolo, Lagos. A total of 2.412 kilograms of cocaine were recovered from them.

The NDLEA has commended its operatives for their diligence and hard work in apprehending the suspects and disrupting the cocaine distribution network. The agency has also warned that it will continue to work tirelessly to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs and their associated criminal activities.

The arrests are a significant blow to the cocaine trade in Nigeria and demonstrate the NDLEA's commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse in the country. As the agency continues to crack down on drug cartels and their operatives, it is clear that the war on drugs in Nigeria is being won.