Ex- footballer, 4 others arrested with 22.6kg cocaine
An ex-footballer, Segun George Hunkarin, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Segun was arrested along with his businessman partner, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, over attempt to smuggle a consignment of cocaine into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The operatives first arrested Chinedu who frequently convey clothes from Turkey to Nigeria and foodstuffs from Nigeria to Turkey.
He was nabbed on June 24 after a search of his bag revealed 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800grams.
“Investigation showed that the suspect was coming from Turkey on Ethiopian Airlines flight but transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria.
“Further checks revealed that an accomplice who turned out to be a former professional footballer, Segun Hunkarin, was waiting for Chinedu at the airport carpark to collect the consignment from him.
“Hunkarin who had stayed years in Brazil playing for various football clubs, was promptly tracked and arrested at the carpark.
“In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia but has never brought any to Nigeria,” the NDLEA said in a statement by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
Meanwhile, another Europe based businessman Amen Okoro Godstime was on Friday 27th June arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport while attempting to traffic 5,000 pills of tramadol to Spain packaged as malaria drugs.
He was intercepted at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the airport during the outward clearance of passengers on Royal Air Maroc flight to Spain through Casablanca.
Okoro who is into freight and logistics business between Europe and Nigeria claimed that on his arrival in Spain, he would join train to France where he resides and from there send the tramadol consignment to Italy for retailing.
In a related development at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, NDLEA operatives on the same day intercepted a Mozambique based bar attendant Ezenwaka Chibuzor Emmanuel in possession of 17 cardboard size parcels of methamphetamine weighing 17.500 kilograms and three parcels of cocaine weighing 3.050 kilograms.
“The 38-year-old suspect was coming from Johannesburg, South Africa via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Ethiopian Airlines flight when he was interdicted and subjected to a search during which the illicit drugs concealed in bedsheets packed in his bags were discovered.
“Another passenger on board the same Ethiopian Airlines flight, 54-year-old Azu Follygan Kpodar was also intercepted at the Enugu airport by NDLEA operatives. When Azu, who arrived from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was searched, a liquid soap plastic container marked YPE, was discovered in his luggage.
“The substance was promptly taken for analysis at the NDLEA forensic and chemical laboratory, Enugu where the substance tested positive to cocaine. The substance which turned out to be liquid cocaine, weighed 1.250kg.
“The suspect, who is a toy seller in Brinquedo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, claimed he purchased the substance while shopping for his wedding ceremony in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Seme border area of Badagry in Lagos on Tuesday 24th June intercepted a 26-year-old Beninese Vode Jean-Luck while trying to smuggle 69 balls of skunk, a strain of cannabis with a gross weight of 29.5kg, from Benin Republic into Nigeria.
In Kwara state, a notorious drug dealer Mary Bolanle Oladele, a.k.a Iya Nafi, was arrested on Wednesday 25th June when NDLEA operatives raided her base in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area where various quantities of skunk, tramadol and flunitrazepam were recovered.
Also, a 72-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Christy Ejaro was on Tuesday 24th June arrested by NDLEA operatives at Niger CAT area of Warri, Delta state with several sachets of skunk packaged in retail size.
