NDLEA busts India-bound businessman with 9.40kg heroin

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has arrested a businessman, Kingsley Celestino, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos, over 9.40 kilograms of heroin allegedly concealed in false bottoms of his two travelling bags.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that Kingsley, a business class passenger on Qatar Airline flight, was arrested at Terminal 2 of the MMIA on Saturday on his way to India.

He said that the suspect was a native of Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, adding that the 49-year-old was travelling with a Guinean international passport.

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He also said that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect frequently travelled to India on business class tickets.

According to Babafemi, the suspect claims he deals in clothing business between Nigeria and India.

“It was further established that he obtained the Guinean international passport in Guinea Bissau, where he said his mother came from,” he said.

Similarly, a 24-year-old passenger travelling to Oman, Etounu Monday, was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja, on Feb. 27.

Babafemi said the suspect was arrested during the outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight ET 950 while attempting to export 1.924kg of skunk concealed in cream tubes.

Also, at the Tincan seaport, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday, March 3, recovered 244 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 79 kilograms.

Babafemi said that the illicit drugs were concealed in medium size wooden sound system speakers packed inside two out of four used vehicles in a container marked CRSU9258348 coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada.

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“The imported vehicles used as cover for the drugs are a 2009 Jeep Wrangler and a 2009 Honda Ridgeline,” he said.