NDLEA intercepts cocaine consignment concealed in stomach by 59yr old businessman

By Sodiq Adelakun

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday, November 29, 2024, arrested a 59-year-old Nigerian businessman, Ezeokoli Sylva, for allegedly smuggling 700 grams of cocaine concealed in his stomach.

Sylva, who had been residing in Brazil for 35 years, was apprehended at the E-Arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

He was returning to Nigeria aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from São Paulo, Brazil, with a layover in Addis Ababa.

According to Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for the NDLEA on Sunday, a body scan revealed foreign objects inside Sylva’s stomach, later confirmed to be cocaine.

“Following the scan, the suspect was placed under observation and eventually expelled 29 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine, weighing 700 grams,” Babafemi said.

In his statement, Sylva confessed that he had planned to sell the drugs in Nigeria to fund his business.

“He operates an African store in Brazil, where he sells provisions, shoes, and clothes. Sylva claimed he purchased the cocaine in São Paulo to resell in Nigeria to generate capital for his business,” Babafemi added.

The arrest is part of a series of recent NDLEA operations targeting drug traffickers. On November 26, two consignments containing cocaine and pentazocine injections were intercepted in Lagos.

The cocaine, weighing 200 grams, was concealed in local fabrics, while the pentazocine injections, weighing 110 grams, were hidden in cartons.

Further, on November 28, three individuals were arrested in Kano with large quantities of pentazocine injections and Exol-5 pills.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives also seized 2,120 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud cannabis at Ilesan Beach in Lagos.