Men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted a cocaine shipment at Emerald Hotel, Ladipo, Oshodi, Lagos, on Wednesday and arrested four suspects, attempting to smuggle the drug to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage.
According to a statement by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, shared on the agency’s website on Thursday, the suspects, Usman Kamorudeen (31), Olasunkanmi Owolabi (46), Fatai Yekini (38), and Ayinla Kemi (34), had prepared 200 cocaine pellets (2.20kg) to ingest before their flight.
The statement read: “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have raided Emerald Hotel, Ladipo area of Oshodi, Lagos State where some intending pilgrims to the ongoing hajj in Saudi Arabia were lodged and caught in the act of ingesting wraps of cocaine ahead of their flight to the holy land on Wednesday, 5 June 2024.
‘Those arrested during the intelligence-led operation include Usman Kamorudeen, 31; Olasunkanmi Owolabi, 46; Fatai Yekini, 38; and a lady, Ayinla Kemi, 34.
“The four suspects were lodged in two rooms in the hotel where they had prepared 200 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.20kg to swallow when NDLEA officers stormed their rooms.
“One hundred wraps of the Class A substance were recovered from each of the two rooms bringing the total seizure to 200 wraps. Two suspects were to swallow 100 wraps each”.
The NDLEA boss, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd.) also stated that the Agency will work with their counterparts in Saudi Arabia to ensure that the designated recipients of the seized illicit drug consignments in any part of Saudi Arabia are also traced and dealt with accordingly.
