SUNTV Global Channel | NEWS
July 5, 2026
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman, Mary Yetunde Barek, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside fake plantain peels.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was intercepted at the departure hall of Terminal 2 on Sunday, June 28, while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
The agency said a thorough search of her luggage uncovered 31 large wraps of cocaine carefully packaged to resemble hands of plantain and hidden among other food items in an apparent attempt to evade security screening.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the seized cocaine weighed a total of 13 kilograms.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted ownership of the recovered illicit drugs, according to the anti-narcotics agency.
The arrest forms part of the NDLEA’s ongoing nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and efforts to prevent the smuggling of illicit substances through Nigeria’s airports and other border points.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling drug trafficking networks and bringing offenders to justice.
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