By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Attempt by a 29-year-old South African, Erasmus Jean Pierre, to export 2.6 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in his luggage to the Middle East through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja on Wednesday 23rd August, 2023, was thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), who arrested him and recovered the illicit drug.
The suspect was intercepted by NDLEA operatives during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 404 from Abuja to the Middle East via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A thorough search of his luggage led to the discovery of the whitish powdery illicit substance factory packed in different parts of the bag.
Preliminary investigation reveals that the suspect arrived Lagos through Abidjan, Côte dIvoire on Saturday 19th August, came to Abuja on Tuesday 22nd August, and took possession of the brown bag containing the drug consignment on Wednesday 23rd August before heading to the Abuja airport for his flight out of Nigeria.