67-year-old grandmother arrested over possession of 13kg cocaine hidden in fake plantain

• A 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman was arrested at Lagos Airport after officers allegedly found 13kg of cocaine hidden in fake plantain in her luggage.

• NDLEA also arrested a PhD student accused of leading a drug trafficking group after seizing cocaine hidden in cartons of Orijin Bitters bound for Malaysia.

• The agency made several other drug arrests across Nigeria and said it will continue its fight against drug trafficking and drug abuse.

A 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after she was allegedly caught attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in fake plantain peels through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

The suspect, identified as Mary Barek, was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal 2 on Sunday, June 28, as she prepared to board a Virgin Atlantic flight bound for London.

According to the NDLEA, officers conducted a detailed inspection of her luggage after she was stopped at the airport.

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The search uncovered 31 large packages of cocaine carefully wrapped to resemble hands of plantain and packed among other food items in an apparent attempt to avoid detection.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the agency's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the drugs had a combined weight of 13 kilograms.

"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," Babafemi said, adding that the suspect admitted ownership of the illicit drugs during questioning.

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The NDLEA said investigations into the case are ongoing as authorities continue efforts to combat drug trafficking through Nigeria's international airports.

The NDLEA also announced the arrest of a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, identified as Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, over an alleged attempt to smuggle cocaine hidden inside cartons of Orijin Bitters destined for Kuala Lumpur.

According to the agency, investigators traced Onyeka to Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, where he was arrested on June 29 after being identified as the alleged leader of a drug trafficking syndicate.

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His arrest followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.8 kilograms concealed within the walls of nine cartons of the herbal drink that had been prepared for export to Malaysia.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said four other suspects, including a cargo agent, a driver, a trader and a supplier of the cartons used to hide the drugs, were arrested during the investigation before Onyeka was tracked down.

The agency also reported several other drug-related arrests across Nigeria. In Taraba State, operatives recovered 43,980 capsules of Tramadol hidden inside modified vehicle fuel tanks.

Suspects were also arrested in Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe states, where officers seized methamphetamine, skunk and more than 556 kilograms of cannabis sativa during separate operations.

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Beyond the arrests, the NDLEA said it continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaign through educational programmes in schools, workplaces, places of worship and communities.

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the commands for combining drug enforcement efforts with public education and urged personnel to sustain the momentum in the fight against drug trafficking.