NDLEA arrests Brazilian, Nigerian disguising cocaine as chocolate

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two suspected drug peddlers, including a 23-year-old Brazilian who disguised cocaine as chocolate. Spokesman of the agency, Jonah Achema, said on Wednesday that the NDLEA, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Special Area Command, Abuja, uncovered two new methods drug traffickers adopt to evade law enforcement personnel. […]

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two suspected drug peddlers, including a 23-year-old Brazilian who disguised cocaine as chocolate.

Spokesman of the agency, Jonah Achema, said on Wednesday that the NDLEA, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Special Area Command, Abuja, uncovered two new methods drug traffickers adopt to evade law enforcement personnel.

He said the new methods were uncovered on Monday in two separate operations at the airport, leading to the seizure of 14.4 kg of cocaine.

According to him, in the first operation, the command intercepted a consignment of four packets of chocolate sweets containing white substances which tested positive for cocaine weighing 7.2 kg, while in the second operation,  it uncovered 12 parcels of cellophane wrappers with whitish substances which also tested positive for cocaine weighing another 7.2 kg.

“The first operation involved Da Silva Mailson Mario, a Brazilian aged 23, who was arrested with a suitcase containing the packets of the chocolate sweet during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline ET 911, which originated from Brazil en-route Addis Ababa to Abuja.

“The second operation involved Elechi Adendu Kingsley, a Nigerian aged 39, who was arrested with a bag containing cellophane bags during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight Et 911,” Achema said.

He also said that Mario who spoke through an interpreter decided to be silent on all questions put to him and was only inquisitive about the jail terms his alleged offence may attract in Nigeria.

On his part, Kingsley, an indigene of Umulolo Local Government Area of Imo State, who has been living in Brazil for the past 13 years, said he would not blame anybody for his involvement.

“I am an adult and I am fully aware of what I was going into. I agree that somebody gave it to me but I offered to carry it”, he said.

Kingsley also said he was promised N3m upon safe delivery of the drugs to somebody in Nigeria and that he was in Nigeria preparatory to his wedding in January 2021.