Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle a large consignment of illicit drugs into the country.

The suspect was intercepted by anti-narcotic officers during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A thorough search of the suspect’s luggage led to the discovery of 6.1 kilograms of liquid cocaine. In an attempt to evade detection by scanning machines and law enforcement officials, the illicit substance had been meticulously concealed, soaked into various items of clothing, including shirts and towels packed inside his bags.

NDLEA operatives uncovered the concealment method during routine profiling and physical examination of the luggage. The suspect was subsequently taken into custody, and the drug-laden textile materials were seized for further forensic extraction and analysis.

The agency noted that preliminary investigations are underway to dismantle the wider international drug trafficking syndicate linked to the shipment, reaffirming its commitment to tightening security checks across the nation’s international gateways.