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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside fake plantain peels through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The suspect, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was apprehended at the airport’s departure terminal while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London. A thorough search of her luggage led to the discovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine disguised as fresh plantains and packed alongside other food items.
According to the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect admitted ownership of the drugs during interrogation. The agency also revealed that the arrest formed part of a wider anti-drug operation that uncovered an international trafficking network. In a related development, operatives arrested a 45-year-old PhD student, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, identified as the alleged leader of a syndicate attempting to export cocaine hidden inside cartons of Orijin Bitters to Malaysia. Investigators said four other suspects had earlier been arrested before Onyeka was tracked down in Anambra State.
Beyond the airport seizure, the NDLEA reported several other successful operations across the country, including the interception of 43,980 capsules of tramadol concealed in modified fuel tanks in Taraba State and the arrest of suspected drug traffickers in Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau and Gombe. NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the agency’s dual strategy of aggressive drug enforcement and nationwide public awareness campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.
