Four suspects preparing to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj Pilgrimage were arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Wednesday.
News About Nigeria reports that the arrest was confirmed by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement shared on the agency’s website on Thursday.
The suspects, identified as Usman Kamorudeen (31), Olasunkanmi Owolabi (46), Fatai Yekini (38), and Ayinla Kemi (34), were arrested at the Emerald Hotel in Ladipo, Oshodi, Lagos, where they were lodged.
They were found with 200 cocaine pellets weighing 2.20 kg, which they were preparing to ingest before their flight.
The statement read, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, raided the Emerald Hotel in the Ladipo area of Oshodi, Lagos State, where some intending pilgrims to the ongoing Hajj in Saudi Arabia were lodged. They were caught in the act of ingesting wraps of cocaine ahead of their flight to the holy land on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
“Those arrested during the intelligence-led operation include Usman Kamorudeen, 31; Olasunkanmi Owolabi, 46; Fatai Yekini, 38; and a lady, Ayinla Kemi, 34. The four suspects were lodged in two rooms in the hotel, where they had prepared 200 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.20 kg to swallow when NDLEA officers stormed their rooms. 100 wraps of the Class A substance were recovered from each of the two rooms, bringing the total seizure to 200 wraps. Two suspects were to swallow 100 wraps each.”
NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa stated that the agency would collaborate with its counterparts in Saudi Arabia to trace and prosecute the designated recipients of the seized drugs.
