NDLEA Busts India-Bound Nursing Student With 76 Wraps Of Cocaine

Esther was apprehended while attempting to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine by ingesting them before boarding her flight back to India.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, revealed that Esther, scheduled to fly to Delhi on Qatar Airways flight 1432 on January 17, 2025, was arrested at 11:30 PM on January 16 at the Royal Park Hotel, Sabon Gari, Kano, as she awaited the drug consignment for ingestion.

The operation was triggered when NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State intercepted 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie, who was traveling from Lagos to Kano with 76 cocaine pellets, weighing 1.34 kilograms, concealed in an audio speaker. Cosmas was en route to deliver the drugs to Esther, leading to her subsequent arrest in Kano.

In her confession, Esther disclosed that a drug cartel in India had recruited her, sponsoring her trip to Nigeria under the pretext of a holiday. To avoid detection by her family, she bypassed her home state of Imo and stayed in a hotel in Enugu before traveling to Abuja and Kano. She was promised over $5,000 for successfully transporting the drugs to India.

Further NDLEA operations along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway led to the arrest of four suspects—Abdullahi Umar, Tijjani Samaila, Lucky Obotte, and Abubakar Haruna—who were caught transporting over 38,000 tramadol pills hidden in audio speakers and clothing.

In Lagos, a raid at the Ojodu-Berger residence of 59-year-old Nwokedi Emeka Jonas resulted in the seizure of 10 parcels of Canadian Loud cannabis weighing 4.9kg, alongside packaging materials labeled with street names like “Dead Man” and “Gelato Cake.” Additional arrests in Lagos recovered large quantities of skunk, tramadol, and other substances, as well as delivery vehicles.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Kano arrested multiple suspects, including Usama Adamu and Isah Ibrahim, and recovered 7.6kg of skunk, 78 tubes of rubber solution, and 356 bottles of the psychoactive substance known as “suck and die.” Another operation along Zaria Road resulted in the seizure of 49.8kg of skunk from 29-year-old Usman Isa.