Ibadan businesswoman and her accomplices arrested for trying to smuggle cocaine to the UK

NATIONAL Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officials have arrested Ibadan businesswoman Adewunmi Dorcas some of her accomplices for attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Nigeria via the United Kingdom.

On Friday September 6, the duo were arrested after officials intercepted a UK-bound cargo at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, said a thorough search of the consignment revealed that 924 bottles of codeine-based syrup weighing 135.70kg and 5,250 tablets of Rohypnol were hidden in cartons of foodstuffs.

Mr Babafemi added: “The freight agent, Owojori Olanrewaju Sunday, who presented the cargo for export, was promptly arrested. Further investigation led to the arrest of another suspect, Adewunmi Akeem Temitope, who claimed that his mother, 58-year-old Mrs. Adewunmi Adebola Dorcas sent the consignment to him from Ibadan to deliver to the agent.

"A follow-up operation on Saturday, September 7, led to the arrest of Mrs Adewunmi in Ibadan, where she deals in foodstuffs and cargo export." Mr Sunday the freight agent, confessed that he had been working for Mrs Adewunmi to export cargoes to the UK, adding that he was paid N2,411,000 for the job and was paid N2.1m for a similar consignment handled for the businesswoman earlier in the year.

Mr Babafemi also said the NDLEA operatives at the same export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted some cartons of auto spare parts and Checker powder custard going to Congo Brazzaville on Ethiopian Airlines on September 11. He added that a diligent search of the cargo led to the discovery of 300 grams of cocaine concealed in the containers of Checker powder custard packed together with some auto parts.

“A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the sender of the consignment, Arinze Ora, who deals in auto parts at Shop 12, Block 7 Aspanda Trade Fair Auto Parts Wing, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos,” Mr Babafemi said. He added that NDLEA operatives arrested two brothers, Ikechukwu Ikeabba and Ugochukwu Ikeabba, who were sponsors of drug traffickers who specialised in exporting drugs by ingestion to Vietnam on September 10.

Mr Babafemi added: “Their arrest followed a diligent investigation of an earlier arrest of an Onitsha, Anambra State based-businessman, Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, who excreted 68 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.282 kilograms after 12 days of excretion observation after he was arrested at the local wing of the Lagos airport by the NDLEA operatives. The 36-year-old Ibeanusi was arrested in the early hours of Thursday, August 8, 2024, at the old domestic terminal of the Lagos airport while attempting to board the first flight out of Lagos to Abuja where he was scheduled to join a Qatar Airways flight to Vietnam at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 10 am, the same day.”

He also said the brothers were linked to another Vietnam-bound businessman, 54-year-old Paul Mbadugha, who was arrested by the NDLEA operatives at the Abuja airport on  August 12, 2024, during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Hanoi, Vietnam via Doha after he tested positive to ingestion of cocaine. Mr Babafemi recalled that four days under observation, Mr Mbadugha excreted a total of 88 wraps of the illicit drug with a gross weight of 1.710 kilograms.