LAGOS, Nigeria — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has announced the arrests of Eyah Nnamdi and Ugwuoke Oluchukwu, both Qatar-based and suspected of masterminding a significant meth trafficking operation.
In a press briefing on Sunday, June 18, 2023, NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, detailed how Oluchukwu, posing under an Ivorien passport bearing the name Hien Narcisse, was apprehended during an outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers at Lagos airport on June 9.
Babafemi explained that NDLEA officers, suspecting Oluchukwu, decided to scrutinize his black carry-on luggage and unearthed a hidden compartment. Concealed within the false bottom were two parcels of a crystalline substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine, weighing in at 1kg.
“Preliminary investigation showed that the suspect is a Nigerian who had obtained the Ivorien passport for his travels,” Babafemi noted. Oluchukwu confessed to traveling to Qatar in August 2022 and returning to Nigeria in April 2023 to orchestrate the drug movement.
Subsequent investigations led NDLEA operatives to Oluchukwu’s Qatar-based senior accomplice, referred to as ‘Murphy’, who was lurking in Eziani, his hometown in the Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.
“Oluchukwu, who hails from the Igboeze North Local Government Area of the state, claimed he holds a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering,” Babafemi added.
NDLEA officers promptly deployed to Eziani on June 10, leading to the arrest of ‘Murphy’, whose true identity was subsequently revealed as Eyah Celestine Nnamdi. Nnamdi had spent several years in Indonesia before relocating to Doha.
The arrests mark a significant achievement for the NDLEA in its ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking within and across the country’s borders. These operations further demonstrate the agency’s determination to bring high-profile traffickers to justice and disrupt the international drug trade affecting Nigeria.
