The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter, a returnee from Thailand, for attempting to import 13.30 kilograms of heroin valued at over N3.192 billion.
Oguejiofor was detained at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Monday, October 7, 2024, while trying to smuggle the narcotic concealed in six backpacks packed inside two large suitcases.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, provided details in a statement released on Sunday. He noted that the 29-year-old, a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University in Anambra State, had departed Thailand on October 3. He traveled on a Qatar Airways flight, with a stopover in Doha where he spent two days before heading to Lagos. His luggage was originally routed to Accra, Ghana.
After arriving in Lagos on October 5, Oguejiofor contacted the airline to have his luggage redirected to Nigeria, aiming to retrieve it as rush bags to evade security checks.
However, NDLEA operatives intercepted him at the airport exit. Upon searching his suitcases, officers discovered three empty backpacks in each bag, with heroin parcels meticulously sewn into all six backpacks. The total weight of the recovered heroin amounted to 13.30 kg.
In his statement, Oguejiofor revealed that he had been hired for $7,000 to deliver the parcels, with plans to deliver two in Lagos and the remaining four in Accra, Ghana.
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