The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 23-year-old drug trafficker, Okoguale Douglas, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja with heroin while trying to board a Milan, Italy bound flight.

This was disclosed in a statement issued to journalists on Friday in Abuja by the Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

He said the NDLEA operatives arrested Douglas, who hails from Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, during an outward clearance of Ethiopian airline flight number 910 enroute Abuja-Addis Ababa-Milan (Italy) at the boarding gate of the airport.

Babafemi explained that the trafficker was scanned and tested positive for ingestion, after which he excreted 59 wraps of heroin weighing 781.2 grammes.

During interrogation, Douglas claimed that he has been residing in Italy since 2011, after entering the country via Libya with one of his uncles, and that he was promised 2000 Euro if he successfully delivers the drug to Milan, Italy.

The NDLEA spokesperson further revealed that the suspect also claimed that two men brought the wrapped drug to him in a hotel last Friday, after which he swallowed the 59 pellets early on Saturday May 1st, 2021.

The NDLEA Commander at the NAIA, Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, said efforts are ongoing to unravel other suspects connected to the crime.