NDLEA confiscates 23 wraps containing $34,000 cash at Lagos airport - PHOTOS

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday foiled an attempt by a passenger to smuggle 23 wraps containing $34,000 into an airplane at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos. The suspect, Ozoh Ikenna, was said to be on his way to Brazil.

The NDLEA airport commander, Ahmadu Garba, disclosed that the smuggled dollars were detected during screening of passengers on the Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi. The money was packed in wraps similar to narcotics and concealed in his shorts.

“The wraps of dollars found on Ozoh Ikenna were detected with the aid of scanning machine. We also conducted a follow-up operation where one Ogbo Emmanuel who gave Ozoh $34,000 was arrested,”  Garba stated.

Investigation conducted by the Assets and Financial Investigation Directorate headed by Mrs Victoria Egbase revealed that the suspects were involved in the laundering of a substantial amount of money which was illicit drug proceeds.

Egbase said:”We were able to trace over N226,000,000 to one bank account belonging to the second suspect, Ogbo Emmanuel. The account name is Eternal God International Limited.”

Ozoh, in his statement, said: “I live in Brazil since 2008. I was paid to smuggle the $34,000 to Brazil. They promised to pay me five per cent. I agreed to smuggle the money to alleviate my financial hardship. I could not swallow the wraps, so I decided to hide them in my shorts.”

Further investigations reportedly showed that suspected drug proceeds were regularly deposited in Emmanuel’s bank account by members of an international drug cell that smuggles cocaine from South America to West Africa.

The NDLEA has assured of the diligent prosecution of the suspects.

The NDLEA had in September announced tougher screening measures at Nigeria’s airports following the discovery that illicit drugs were being moved with the assistance of airport domestic staff barely days after a cleaner was arrested with N53m in a bucket in suspected money laundering antics.