NDLEA Seizes 9.2kg Illegal Drugs Hid In Palm Oil Aboard South African Airline

Posted by African Examiner Ayo Balogun, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Monday, January 6th, 2014

Ayo Balogun, Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 9.2kg of methamphetamine hard drugs concealed inside palm oil as the drug was being taken to South Africa.

Officials of the agency had embarked on thorough screening of cargos aboard South African Airline at the Murtala Muhammed Internation Airport in Lagos, Nigeria on Monday and discovered that the drugs were hidden in palm oil.

The NDLEA disclosed that a taxi driver who brought the consignment to the airport has been arrested by anti-narcotic officials, while the suspect’s name was given as Okwuokei Peter.

Commander, NDLEA, Lagos Airport, Hamza Umar said the suspect concealed the drugs in 41 parcels and hid it inside a gallon containing palm oil, adding that suspect said he was sending the drugs to a regular passenger.

According to him, one of his regular passengers asked him to send the gallon of oil to him, explaining that he thought he was doing him a favour not knowing that the bag contained hard drugs.

Section 11, sub-section ‘b’ of the NDLEA Act states that anybody who without lawful authority export, transports or otherwise traffics in the drugs popularly known as cocaine, LSD heroine or any other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for life.