NDLEA Arrests 74-Year-Old Man at Abuja Airport With 11kg Cocaine Concealed in Pepper
Emmanuel Femi Adedayo 
A 74-year-old grandfather has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja after 11 kilograms of cocaine were discovered cleverly concealed inside food items in his luggage.
The suspect, identified as Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, was apprehended at the airport’s departure hall on Saturday while attempting to board British Airways flight BA082 bound for Heathrow, London. He had claimed he was travelling to the United Kingdom for a vacation.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement released on Sunday, revealing that a routine search of the septuagenarian’s luggage uncovered blocks of cocaine carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons and hidden inside food items, particularly ground dry pepper.
The discovery of such a substantial drug consignment on a passenger of advanced age has raised serious concerns among anti-narcotics officials, underscoring the extent to which drug trafficking networks are willing to exploit unsuspecting or complicit individuals regardless of age.
The suspect is currently in NDLEA custody as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the attempted smuggling continue.
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