NDLEA: Four Hajj Pilgrims Arrested With 200 Pellets Of Cocaine.
The troop of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have reportedly arrested some intending 2024 Pilgrims for dealing in cocaine.
The NDLEA operatives raided Emerald Hotel, Ladipo area of Oshodi, Lagos state where some intending pilgrims to the ongoing hajj in Saudi Arabia were lodged and caught in the act of ingesting wraps of cocaine ahead of their flight to the holy land on Wednesday.
In a statement released on Friday, NDLEA disclosed that those arrested during the intelligence-led operation include: Olasunkanmi Owolabi, Usman Kamorudeen, Fatai Yekini, and a lady, Ayinla Kemi.
According to the NDLEA, the arrested intending pilgrims were lodged in two rooms in the hotel where they had prepared 200 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.20 kilograms to swallow when NDLEA officers stormed their rooms.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, in the statement said, 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.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig-Gen Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), while prasing the Commander, officers and men of the Lagos state Command of the NDLEA, which conducted the operation, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig-Gen Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) said the agency will continue to spread its dragnet to track, trace and apprehend criminal elements who may want to hide under pilgrimage to carry out their nefarious activities capable of denting the image of the country
NDLEA boss affirmed, “The Agency will work with our counterparts in Saudi Arabia to ensure that the designated recipients of seized illicit drug consignments in any part of Saudi Arabia are also traced and dealt with accordingly.”
