Drug kingpins excrete 125 wraps of heroin after NDLEA arrest

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two drug kingpins at the Port Harcourt International Airport and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after they excreted a total of 125 wraps of heroin.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, one of the suspects, Onyekwonike Elochukwu Sylvanus, 30, also known as Kargbo Mohamed Foday, was caught using dual identities to facilitate drug trafficking across borders.

Sylvanus, who holds both Nigerian and Sierra Leonean passports, was intercepted at Port Harcourt airport on February 2, 2025, upon arrival from Doha via Abuja. A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, and after five excretions, he expelled 62 wraps of heroin weighing 1.348 kilograms. He confessed to engaging in full-time drug trafficking since 2017 after his business collapsed.

The second suspect, James Chinoso, 48, was arrested at Lagos airport on February 1 upon arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A body scan revealed he had ingested drugs, and he later excreted 63 wraps of heroin, weighing 909 grams. Chinoso claimed he turned to drug trafficking after his phone accessories business in Liberia failed.

Additional Drug Seizures:

NDLEA intercepted 2.82kg of Loud (a synthetic cannabis strain) from the U.S., destined for Lagos, at a courier firm in Lagos on February 6.

80 ampoules of pentazocine injection (225g), concealed in cartons and heading to Canada, were seized at another Lagos logistics company.

In Kano, NDLEA arrested Usaini Salisu and Yahaya Mu’azu, both 23, with 15,396 tramadol pills hidden in a gas cylinder on February 3.

Chioma Okeke, 35, was arrested in Sabon Gari, Kano, with 27 blocks of skunk (15kg).

A consignment of 12,800 tramadol pills heading to Jigawa was intercepted on February 8 in Kogi, leading to the arrest of Salisu Basiru, 33.

65 parcels of Colorado (1.6kg) were also recovered from another suspect, Rufai Hassan, 32, at the same checkpoint.

The NDLEA has intensified efforts to curb drug trafficking nationwide, warning traffickers of strict enforcement and severe legal consequences.