The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Onyekwere, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country by concealing the illicit substance in his private part and the soles of his footwear.
Onyekwere was apprehended after NDLEA operatives uncovered the drugs during the routine screening of arriving passengers, following processed intelligence on his movement.
The 47-year-old’s arrest occurred at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, when the suspect arrived aboard a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg and was subjected to a body scan and subsequent strip search.
During the search, operatives discovered a large parcel of a white powdery substance wrapped around his right thigh, while two additional wraps were recovered from the soles of a pair of flat shoes he was wearing.
The substance later tested positive for cocaine, with a total of three large wraps weighing 1.60 kilograms recovered from his body and footwear.
In a preliminary interview, the suspect disclosed that he purchased the cocaine in Brazil with the intention of reselling it in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and to finance the naming ceremony of his newly born child.
He added that he has lived in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2008 and has been operating a toy business for about nine years.
