Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a criminal syndicate that secretly plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers at motor parks.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, revealing that the scheme was exposed after NDLEA operatives intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine in a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, to Abuja.
According to Babafemi, the bus was stopped at Abaji in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where officers recovered a waybill package containing 467.7 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside a black nylon bag, which had been hidden in a sack of clothes bearing the receiver’s phone number.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the supposed receiver, Gloria Peter, at Utako Motor Park. However, she denied ownership or knowledge of the package found in her luggage.
Further investigations prompted the arrest of the bus loaders in Nnewi. One of them confessed that he had secretly placed the drug package inside the woman’s bag on the instruction of the bus driver, Abdurrazak Isah.
The driver’s confession later identified one of the passengers, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the actual owner of the illicit consignment. Okoye was subsequently arrested in Utako, Abuja, during another follow-up operation.
The NDLEA said the operation exposed a dangerous tactic used by drug trafficking syndicates to exploit innocent travellers by planting illegal substances in their luggage without their knowledge.
