By PANA
Lagos, Nigeria – Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) may sanction 14 foreign airlines said to be used by drug traffickers through the country’s main gateway Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, between January and June.
The local media on Sunday quoted NDLEA Spokesman Mitchell Ofoyeju as saying in a statement that the airlines included Qatar, Emirates and South African Airways, said to be on top of the list.
Others are Etihad, British Airways, Arik, Asky, Turkish, Kenyan, KLM, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Ethiopian and Alitalia airlines.
The statement quoted the NDLEA Chairman Ahmadu Giade as saying, “Any airline found to be involved in drug trafficking will be sanctioned.”
According to the NDLEA, the half-year report of the agency showed that a total of 43 cases of drug seizures were made at the Lagos airport on the 14 airlines.
“Qatar had nine cases; Emirates, eight; South African, six; and Etihad, three, while seven others, British Airways, Arik, Asky, Turkish, Kenyan, KLM and Air France, had two cases each. Virgin Atlantic, Ethiopian and Alitalia airlines recorded one case each,” the statement said.
The agency also identified South Africa, China, Malaysia and the United Kingdom as the top destinations of drug traffickers within the period, while incoming drug seizures came from Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Panama and Bolivia.
