The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 50-year-old widow, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, for trafficking cocaine with a fake pregnancy.
Authorities caught Ezewuike, a fashion designer in Okota, Lagos, on Friday, August 22, in Jibowu, Yaba. She was attempting to deliver 1.3 kilograms of cocaine to customers in Abuja while hiding it under a fake pregnancy.
A follow-up search at her residence uncovered 200 grams of a cutting agent used for processing cocaine. NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the recovery in a statement.
Investigators said Ezewuike admitted to inheriting the drug trade from her late husband, who died two years ago. She claimed her husband introduced her to the illicit business before his death.
In related operations, NDLEA intercepted 90 parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 48.6kg. Operatives seized the drugs, hidden in three cartons of kitchen sinks imported from the US, at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 19.
The agency also raided the Yola home of notorious dealer Idris Garba on August 22. Garba escaped, but operatives arrested his associate, Boniface Nnaji, 55, while he tried to flee. They recovered a Toyota Thundra, a Toyota Yaris, and over 354,000 tramadol pills.
In Kano, NDLEA arrested Buhari Ibrahim, 25, and Mansur Musa, 24, with 5,850 pregabalin capsules. Operatives also found more than 452,000 opioids at the home of fugitive suspect Rabilu Mukhtar. Officers arrested another suspect, Buhari Idris, 35, with 140 liters of codeine syrup, while they caught 29-year-old Adamu Yusuf with 7,000 tramadol capsules.
In Abuja, officers arrested two dispatch riders for distributing illicit drugs. Similar crackdowns took place in Taraba, Edo, Delta, Ondo, and Ekiti, where NDLEA teams destroyed cannabis farms and warehouses.
The agency emphasized its commitment to tackling drug trafficking, warning that disguises like fake pregnancy will not hinder from arrest.
