The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported the arrest of several individuals intending to embark on the ongoing Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, allegedly in possession of cocaine.

NDLEA said this came about after its operatives raided Emerald Hotel, Ladipo area of Oshodi, Lagos State, where the suspects were lodged and caught in the act of ingesting wraps of cocaine ahead of their flight to the holy land on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

According to the agency, those arrested during the intelligence-led operation include: Usman Kamorudeen, 31; Olasunkanmi Owolabi, 46; Fatai Yekini, 38; and a lady, Ayinla Kemi, 34.

In a statement issued on Thursday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, the four suspects were lodged in two rooms in the hotel where they had prepared 200 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.20 kilograms to swallow when NDLEA officers stormed their rooms.

Babafemi said that one hundred wraps of the Class A substance were recovered from each of the two rooms, bringing the total seizure to 200 wraps. Two suspects were to swallow 100 wraps each.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the commander, officers and men of the Lagos State Command of NDLEA, which conducted the operation.

Marwa said the agency will continue to spread its dragnet to track, trace and apprehend criminal commanders who may want to hide under pilgrimage to carry out their nefarious activities capable of denting the image of the country.

The NDLEA boss also stated that “the agency will work with our counterparts in Saudi Arabia to ensure that the designated recipients of seized illicit drug consignments in any part of Saudi Arabia are also traced and dealt with accordingly.”