This information was disclosed in a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi..
Abafemi reported the narcotics were packaged in nine polythene bags and concealed within the waste collection systems of the aircraft's two rear lavatories.
He also mentioned that at least 30 individuals are currently under investigation in connection with the discovered drugs.
Babafemi remarked, “The efforts of an international drug syndicate operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, and Nigeria to smuggle 845 wraps of cocaine, totaling 18.72 kilograms, into Lagos have been successfully disrupted, with the NDLEA operatives recovering the shipments at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja.
“The drug shipments, with a street value of ₦4,492,800,000, were retrieved from the lavatories of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft during the post-landing cleaning of flight ET900 on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
“The illicit drugs were found wrapped in nine polythene bags and hidden in the waste collectors of the aircraft's rear lavatories, following an alert to the MMIA Strategic Command of the NDLEA regarding suspicious objects. So far, no fewer than 30 suspects have been interrogated in connection with this seizure.”
He stated that investigations indicated the confiscated drugs were transported from Brazil to Ethiopia via ingestion and subsequently excreted in Addis Ababa by a group of couriers. Other traffickers then attempted to smuggle these drugs into Nigeria through Lagos airport, but their efforts were thwarted thanks to the collaboration of the airline authorities and other airport stakeholders.
Additionally, Babafemi reported that the agency's operatives recovered drugs hidden in body cream containers and artworks.
He noted, “Similarly, attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to export 2.928 kg of cocaine, cannabis, and tramadol 225 mg, concealed within body cream containers and pieces of artwork to Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom via courier services in Lagos were also intercepted by NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation on Monday, October 28.”
At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, Babafemi mentioned that NDLEA operatives seized 754,000 pills of tapentadol and acetaminophen 225 mg, valued at ₦525 million, from a targeted and watch-listed container arriving from India during a joint inspection with Customs Service officers and other security agencies on October 29, 2024.