The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a former international football player, Segun George Hunkarin, and his associate, Ntoruka Chinedu, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Chinedu, a regular traveller known for importing clothes from Turkey and exporting foodstuffs from Nigeria, was arrested on Tuesday, upon arrival from Turkey via an Ethiopian Airlines flight with a stopover in Addis Ababa.
A statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, said a search of his hand luggage uncovered 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800 grams, which he had reportedly collected in Ethiopia before heading to Nigeria.
He said further investigation led to the arrest of Hunkarin, a former professional footballer who had spent years playing in Brazil.
“Investigation showed that the suspect was coming from Turkey on Ethiopian Airlines flight, but transited through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria. Further checks revealed that an accomplice who turned out to be the former professional footballer, Segun Hunkarin, was waiting for Chinedu at the airport carpark to collect the consignment from him.
“Hunkarin who had stayed years in Brazil playing for football clubs was promptly tracked and arrested at the carpark.”
“In his statement, Hunkarin claimed that while playing professional football in the South American country, he had only trafficked drugs twice from Brazil to Ethiopia but had never brought any to Nigeria,” he added.
In another development, Babafemi said a Europe-based businessman, Amen Okoro Godstime, was arrested at the Lagos airport on Friday while attempting to smuggle 5,000 tablets of tramadol (225mg) disguised as malaria drugs such as Lonart, Amatem, and Aluktem.
He added that he was caught at Terminal 2 during the clearance of passengers for a Royal Air Maroc flight to Spain via Casablanca. Okoro claimed he intended to move the drugs to Italy through France, where he resides.
At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Babafemi said the NDLEA operatives intercepted two drug traffickers arriving from different parts of the world on Friday.
The PUNCH