The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has warned commercial drivers and members of the public against accepting parcels without verifying their contents, following an incident in which a bus driver was detained after a package he was conveying was found to contain cocaine and methamphetamine.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a post on his X page on Sunday.
Babafemi said the driver had accepted a bottle of Fearless energy drink as a waybill package in Lagos for delivery to Ondo State, believing it contained an ordinary energy drink.
However, NDLEA operatives who examined the package discovered that the bottle had been used to conceal substances identified as cocaine and methamphetamine.
According to Babafemi, the driver spent some time in custody and could have faced imprisonment over the discovery, but was eventually spared after operatives traced and arrested the individual who handed the package to him.
He said the incident should serve as a warning to commercial drivers and others involved in parcel delivery, stressing that accepting a package without knowing its contents could expose the carrier to criminal liability.
“Please avoid taking parcels you don’t know its content because possession makes you culpable, that’s the law,” Babafemi stated.
He also warned that other persons might not be as fortunate as the driver, urging members of the public to exercise caution when accepting parcels from third parties.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 25-year-old businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, over alleged possession of 72 wraps of cocaine reportedly intended for trafficking to Portugal.
The suspect was alleged to have turned to drug trafficking to offset expenses incurred during his wedding.
