Barely 16 months after being arrested and convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, a 48-year-old businessman, Christian Ogbuji, has been intercepted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
In a statement released on Tuesday, September 24, the NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said Ogbuji was apprehended for importing 817 wraps of cocaine, weighing a total of 19.40 kilograms. The drugs have an estimated street value of N4.656 billion.
Ogbuji was initially arrested in May 2023 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. He was found to have swallowed 93 pellets of cocaine and was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison or a fine of N3 million. However, he opted to pay the fine and was released.
Despite his previous conviction, Ogbuji continued his illicit activities. In September 2024, he was caught attempting to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria through the Lagos airport. He had hidden the drugs in a backpack that he had left on the conveyor belt and later retrieved.
During interrogation, Ogbuji admitted to his involvement in the drug trade. He explained that he had procured a new passport to avoid detection. The NDLEA investigation revealed that Ogbuji is a key player in a drug cartel operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other countries in West Africa.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the agency’s officers for their successful operation. He emphasized that the seizure of such a large quantity of cocaine sends a strong message to international drug cartels. The NDLEA will continue its efforts to disrupt the activities of these criminal organizations in Nigeria.
