The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has foiled the importation of cocaine from Brazil into the country on Sallah day by a drug cartel.
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It said that this followed the prompt interception of substances suspected to be cocaine and arrest of two suspects during search operations on passengers arriving from Brazil aboard Qatar Airline flights at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos State.
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A shipment of 5.300kg of cocaine hidden inside ladies hand bags was on Sunday, November 6, 2011 intercepted at about 2pm at MMIA.
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Another seizure of 1.090kg of cocaine was last week detected in the belly of a passenger with the aid of scanning machine.
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The seizures are believed to be the work of members of an international drug cartel that smuggles cocaine first from Brazil to West Africa and from West Africa to Europe and America.
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According to NDLEA Commander at the MMIA, Hamza Umar, the drug suspects are Olalekan Idris Bamidele, 39, who allegedly checked in a luggage containing 5.300kg of cocaine into a Qatar Airline flight at Sao Paulo and was arrested on arrival at the Lagos airport last Sunday.
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