NDLEA Arrests 67-Year-Old Woman for Cocaine Smuggling

On June 28, 2023, Mari Barek, a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman, was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London. During a thorough search of her luggage, NDLEA officials discovered 31 large wraps of cocaine disguised as hand plantain, weighing a total of 13 kilograms.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, confirmed that Barek admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine. Additionally, on June 29, the agency arrested 45-year-old Nwabuez Felix Onyeka, a PhD student at Universiti Putra Malaysia, for attempting to export cocaine concealed inside a carton of Orijin bitter bound for Kuala Lumpur.

The NDLEA's operations led to the arrest of several other suspects involved in drug trafficking across various states, including Kaduna, Ebonyi, and Plateau.