Nigerian authorities seize nearly $3 million worth of cocaine at Lagos airport

By Camillus Eboh

ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigerian authorities have seized 19.4kg (42.77 pounds) of cocaine worth 4.66 billion naira ($2.93 million) from a passenger who arrived at Lagos airport on a flight from Ethiopia, the country’s anti-drug agency said on Tuesday.

According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), a 48-year-old Nigerian businessman was arrested on September 18. He was convicted of drug trafficking last year but paid a fine to avoid jail time. He was allegedly in possession of 817 wraps of cocaine.

Nigeria, with over 200 million inhabitants the most populous country in Africa, has transformed in recent years from a transit country for gangs transporting drugs between South America and Europe to a full-fledged consumer and distributor.

“The agency will continue to work to disrupt the activities of drug cartels operating in the country,” NDLEA head Mohammed Buba Marwa said in a statement.

($1 = 1,593.0700 naira)

(Reporting by Camilllus Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Sharon Singleton)