Businessman caught with cocaine in stomach after 35 years abroad

A 59-year-old Nigerian businessman, Ezeokoli Sylva, who returned to the country after 35 years in Brazil, has been arrested with 700 grammes of cocaine concealed in his stomach.

The discovery was made by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The arrest occurred on Friday, November 29, 2024, at the E-Arrival hall of the airport following Sylva’s arrival from Sao Paulo, Brazil, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight via Addis Ababa.

A body scan revealed foreign objects in his stomach, leading to his placement under excretion observation. He subsequently expelled 29 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine.

In his statement, Sylva, who claimed to operate an African store in Brazil, said he purchased the illicit drugs in Sao Paulo to resell in Nigeria to raise capital to expand his business.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, November 26, intercepted two consignments containing cocaine and pentazocine injection en route to the United Kingdom via a courier company in Lagos.

The agency disclosed that 200 grammes of cocaine were concealed in local fabrics, while 40 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 110 grammes were hidden in cartons.

In Kano State, three suspects, Jamilu Adamu (38), Umar Musa (32), and Bunu Ali (27), were arrested on Thursday, November 28, with 2,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 3,135,000 pills of Exol-5 at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria Road.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted 2,120 kilogrammes of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at the Ilesan beach on Thursday, November 28.

One suspect, Onibogi Muftau, was arrested, and four vehicles intended for transporting the drugs from the waterfront were recovered. This followed a separate seizure of 472 kilogrammes of the same substance at Idi-Iroko, Imeko, Ogun State, on Monday, November 25.

In Edo State, two suspects, Monday Onyenemue (60) and Evans Omogiede (42), were arrested on Thursday, November 28, during a raid on Ukuwague Street, Benin City. The operatives recovered 185.6 kilogrammes of cannabis and a Toyota Previa bus marked BEN 06XL used to transport the drugs.