The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has caught a Brazil-bound passenger, Ozoh Ikenna, who was attempting to smuggle 23 wraps containing $34, 000 inside his boxer shorts at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos State.
Explaining why he decided to hide the money inside his underwear, Ikenna said: “I was only a courier. 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 it in my underpants.”
The agency’s Head of Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, disclosed that the money was detected during the screening of passengers for an Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi.
Speaking about the arrest, the NDLEA airport commander, Ahmadu Garba, said: “We also conducted a follow-up operation where one Ogbo Emmanuel who gave Ozoh the $34,000 dollars was arrested.
“Investigation by the Assets and Financial Investigation Directorate, headed by Mrs Victoria Egbase, revealed that the suspects were involved in the laundering of substantial amounts of illicit drug proceeds. Over two hundred and twenty-six million Naira (N226, 000,000) was traced to one bank account belonging to the second suspect, Ogbo Emmanuel. The account name is Eternal God International Limited.”
It was also learnt that the cosmetic business of Ogbo Emmanuel at Lagos State Trade Fair Complex, was a mere hoax, as his sales records did not justify the large inflow of money into his bank account, according to Vanguard. A Hyundai Tucson Jeep was seized as an exhibit during the raid operation.
The suspected drug proceeds were regularly deposited in the said bank account by members of an international drug cell that smuggle cocaine from South America to West Africa.
