By Our Reporter
A Ugandan woman who travelled to Nigeria with members of her church, Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), for a religious programme has been arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.15 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed around her pelvic region, in a sweeping crackdown by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) that also exposed international drug trafficking networks and massive illicit drug consignments across several states.
The 34-year-old suspect, identified as Farida Nansubuga, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, last Tuesday while preparing to board a flight to Uganda with 87 wraps of cocaine strapped around her body beneath two layers of underwear.
Her arrest formed part of a series of operations in which the agency intercepted a shipment of 750,000 tablets of the highly potent opioid, Tapentadol, valued at about N900 million, dismantled a network importing chemicals for the production of synthetic cannabis and recovered hundreds of kilogrammes of illicit drugs destined for local and international markets.
According to a statement on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Nansubuga arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer programme at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos.
While the other members of her delegation reportedly returned to Uganda after the religious engagement, she remained behind to collect a drug consignment allegedly arranged by an associate identified as Joy, who resides in Uganda.
The agency said preliminary investigations revealed that Joy had connected her to a Nigerian contact who arranged transportation to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure.
It was allegedly at the hotel that a man handed her the cocaine and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothing to evade airport security.
She reportedly expected to receive at least $1,000 upon successfully delivering the drugs in Uganda, although no definite payment had been agreed.
Babafemi said her arrest followed a joint passenger-screening operation involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel at Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport. A preliminary body search raised suspicion, prompting her transfer to a designated private search room, where the 87 wraps weighing 1.150 kilogrammes were recovered.
