NDLEA Arrests Brazil Returnee With Cocaine, Declares Former Beauty Queen Wanted

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Udechukwu Ekene Theophilus, a Brazil returnee, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

VerseNews reports that Udechukwu ingested 60 wraps of cocaine, totaling 1.279 kilograms, on a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

He was arrested during inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight.

The suspect initially refused to undergo a body scan but later agreed to be placed on excretion observation, during which he expelled a total of 60 wraps of cocaine.

Part of the statement reads: “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a Brazil returnee, Udechukwu Ekene Theophilus at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos for ingesting 60 big wraps of cocaine.

“The suspect who was arrested during inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the D-Arrival Hall of the Lagos airport on Sunday 21st January 2024, initially refused to undergo body scan, raising health concerns in a desperate bid to evade arrest.

“When he was however offered other options, he accepted to be placed on excretion observation and shortly after he was ushered into NDLEA observatory, he excreted the first set of cocaine pellets, after which he expelled a total of 60 wraps of the class A drug weighing 1.279 kilogrammes in five excretions.”

NDLEA also recovered 12 cartons of tramadol weighing 385.40kg from an overstayed cargo at the Lagos airport.

On the wanted fomer beauty queen, the statement reads: “Meanwhile, an ex-beauty queen, Ms. Aderinoye Queen Christmas also known as Ms. Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye has been declared wanted by the Agency after she escaped from her Lekki, Lagos residence when NDLEA operatives raided her apartment at Oral estate, Lekki on Wednesday 24th January following credible intelligence she deals in illicit substances.

“The suspect was Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture 2015/2016 and the founder of Queen Christmas Foundation.

“Recovered from her home during the search witnessed by the estate officials include 606 grams of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, an electronic weighing scale, large quantities of drugs packing plastics, a black RAV 4 SUV marked Lagos KSF 872 GQ, and her picture frame among others.”

In separate operations, the agency seized 822 kilograms of cannabis sativa in Yobe, arrested suspects in Yobe, Kogi, and Kano states, and intercepted a truck carrying cannabis, tramadol, and diazepam pills on the Gombe-Bauchi road.

Additionally, the agency declared ex-beauty queen Ms. Aderinoye Queen Christmas wanted after she escaped during a raid on her Lekki residence, where cannabis and drug-related items were found.

Members of an international drug trafficking syndicate, Sunday Michael Owoborode and Valentine Anene, were arrested in Ogun state, while Sunday Adediran was apprehended in Lagos with 20kg of cannabis sativa.