Former football, four more arrested for the alleged attempt to smuggle the cocaine of 22.6 kg in Nigeria

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a former international football player, Segun Hunkarin, for the alleged attempt to smuggle a cocaine expedition to Nigeria.

The expedition was attempted to be smuggled through Murtala Muhammed (Mmia), Ikeja, Lagos international airport.

On Sunday in Abuja, a declaration by the Media Director of Ndlea, Femi Babafemi in Abuja said that Hunkarin was arrested together with his business partner, Ntuuka Chintadu.

Babafemi said that Chintadu was a frequent flyer known for transmitting clothes from Türkiye to Nigeria and from food products from Nigeria to Türkiye.

According to him, Chintadu was the first to be arrested on his arrival at Lagos airport on Tuesday 24 June.

The NDLEA spokesman said that the agents of the agency found 37 compresses of cocaine, weighing 800 grams, while leading a research on his transport bag.

“The investigations showed that the suspicion came from Türkiye on the flight of Ethiopian airlines but transit through Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, where he collected the luggage from another person before heading to Nigeria.

“Further checks revealed that an accomplice that proved to be a former professional footballer, Segun Hunkarin, was waiting for Chintadu at the airport carpark to collect the expedition from him on arrival.

“Hunkarin, who remained years in Brazil playing for football teams, was promptly monitored and arrested at the parking lot.

“In his statement, Hunkarin said that while playing professional football in the South American country, he only had drug trafficking twice from Brazil to Ethiopia, but he never brought anyone to Nigeria,” he said.

In the meantime, another businessman based in Europe, Amen Okoro was on Friday 27 June, arrested by the agents Ndlea at Lagos airport.

Babafemi said that the suspicion was caught while presumably attempted to trafficking 5,000 tramadol pills as 225 mg of malaria drugs packaged such as Lonart, Amatem and Aluktem in Spain.

He said Okoro was intercepted in the airport terminal 2 departure room during the external authorization of the passengers on the Royal Air Maroc flight to Spain through Casablanca.

“Okoro is in transport and logistics activities between Europe and Nigeria.

“He said that on his arrival in Spain, he would cross a train to France where he resides and from there he would have sent the Tramadolo expedition to Italy for retail,” Babafemi said.

In the meantime, the war against the abuse of drugs, (Wada), the social defense activities by Ndlea continued equally throughout the country last week.

Some of them included: Wada awareness lesson delivered to the students and staff of the Yakubawa Model Primary School, Zanego, Katsina; Police Secondary School, Igboora, Oyo; Divine favor of the international group of schools, LGA bandages, Abia.

Others included the secondary school of the day of command, Ojoo, Ibadan; Mater of colleges, Udi, Enugu; Community Girls Secondary School, Yenagoa, Bayelsa; And the high school of Fiyinfolu, Ikole Ekiti, among others.