2 clearing agents, another arrested at MMIA with drugs

LAGOS — Three persons, including two licensed clearing and forwarding agents, have been arrested for illicit shipment of 43.6kg of cannabis to China and 12 kilogrammes of methamphetamine to South Africa.

The drugs said to have been hidden inside foodstuff and artificial hair were detected by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, during screening.
This was as 55.6 kilogrammes of narcotics was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.
NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr Hamza Umar, described it as the highest cannabis seizure since January 2013.
Hamza said: “This 43.6kg is the highest cannabis seizure since the beginning of the year. Like several seizures in the past, the cannabis was hidden inside foodstuff. The drug was discovered during routine examination.
“The suspects include Keita Mamady, 38, who was arrested with 43.6kg cannabis and two clearing agents Samuel Williams (40) and Adams Adewunmi Samuel (35) who were arrested in connection with the shipment of 12kg of methamphetamine.”
One of the suspects who hails from Anambra State whose real name is Sylvester Nnamdi Augustine was caught with a Guinean International passport bearing Keita Mamady.
According to the suspect, the drug was to be delivered at Hong Kong while he would have proceeded to Guangzhou.
He said: “I was told to deliver the drug in Hong Kong on my way to Guangzhou. Unfortunately, the drug was discovered by the NDLEA officers at the luggage checking desk. I am a business man and I live in Guinea where I obtained my passport.”
Samuel Williams who is a clearing agent collected the consignment from a member of the drug syndicate and gave it to his colleague to export to South Africa. The drug was found hidden inside female artificial hair.
According to Williams, “my friend in South Africa called me to send some hair attachment to him. When they brought the package to me, I then gave it to my colleague on export desk because I specialise in import clearance.”
Samuel hails from Delta State.
His colleague, Samuel who hails from Ogun State also told officers that he was invited to send the package to South Africa by Samuel Williams.
“I was given the package by Samuel Williams. It was during examination that NDLEA officers detected the drugs inside the hair attachment,” he said.