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

Nigerian authorities have seized 19.4 kilograms of cocaine worth 4.66 billion naira ($2.93 million) from a passenger who arrived at Lagos airport on a flight from Ethiopia, the 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.

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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 disrupt the activities of drug cartels operating in the country,” NDLEA chief Mohammed Buba Marwa said in a statement.

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