By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Rivers
RIVERS: In a dramatic operation that underscores the evolving tactics of drug traffickers, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a woman attempting to smuggle cocaine to Iran through the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State.
The suspect, identified as Ihensekhien Obehi, was intercepted on Sunday, May 3, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran via Doha. Obehi had disguised herself in a hijab in a failed bid to evade scrutiny.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, credible intelligence led to the suspect’s arrest at the departure hall. Upon a search, officers discovered three wraps of cocaine hidden in her private parts and two parcels of the illicit substance concealed in her handbag. She had also swallowed 67 pellets of cocaine.
“She was placed under close observation and later excreted the ingested pellets, bringing the total weight of the seized drugs to 2.523 kilograms,” Babafemi said.
In separate operations, the NDLEA also apprehended a British national at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, who arrived from Thailand with 37.6kg of cannabis variant known as “Loud.” In Niger State, four vehicles, including a fuel truck, were intercepted with over 3,000kg of skunk.
The anti-narcotics agency also recorded major seizures across Kaduna, Kwara, Bauchi, and Kano States, recovering large consignments of tramadol, codeine syrup, and cannabis in a sweeping crackdown.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), has reiterated the agency’s unwavering resolve to disrupt all channels used by drug trafficking networks, warning that “no disguise or destination will shield traffickers from justice.”
He added, “We are determined to dismantle the cartels and protect our communities from the destructive grip of illicit drugs.”
The latest arrests highlight the sophistication and desperation of traffickers as well as the NDLEA’s expanding intelligence network and surveillance capacity across Nigerian airports and highways.