Two pregnant women were among drug traffickers arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Lagos Airport for attempting to import and export illicit drugs through the airport in the last week.

The first to enter the agency’s dragnet, a statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said, was a Brazilian returnee, Nworie Phillip Chikwendu, who was arrested on May 3rd during an inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, en route to Lagos.

During a thorough search of his luggage, two parcels of cocaine were discovered concealed in a pair of brown slippers hidden in his oxblood backpack. A further search of the pair of black slippers worn by the suspect also led to the recovery of an additional two parcels of cocaine built into the soles of his footwear, bringing the total to four parcels weighing 800grams.

When undergoing a preliminary interview, Babafemi said, Nworie, who claimed to be a barber in Sao Paulo, said he came to Nigeria for the burial of his father and confessed he decided to get into the criminal act because his trip was sponsored by his Brazil-based friend, who gave him the drug to deliver in Lagos for a fee of N2 million.

The following day, on May 4th, NDLEA operatives at the SAHCO export shed at the airport intercepted some cartons of alcoholic drinks suspected to contain illicit drugs. A freight agent who brought the consignment for export to Dubai, UAE, Shola Ogunrinde, was immediately arrested, while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of a pregnant woman, Seun Babatunde, who operates an alcohol joint in the Pleasure area of Iyana Ipaja.