Nigerian authorities have reportedly dismantled a significant drug cartel, arresting what they describe as ‘kingpins’ involved in using unsuspecting pilgrims to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. This disturbing revelation exposes a sinister plot exploiting religious devotion for illicit drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) made crucial arrests in Lagos, apprehending four intending pilgrims who had ingested wraps of cocaine. These individuals were reportedly lodging in a hotel where they were preparing to swallow approximately 200 pellets of cocaine, weighing 2.20 kilograms, before their flight to the holy land.
Chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), highlighted the alarming trend of criminal networks preying on religious sentiments during Hajj to traffic drugs internationally. He recounted instances where individuals, under the guise of holy pilgrimage, were deceived into carrying illegal narcotics. For example, two years prior, three women were reportedly duped by individuals who offered to pay for their Hajj expenses, only to later give them bags with cocaine sewn into the lining to deliver to supposed relatives in Saudi Arabia.
The NDLEA has vowed to intensify collaboration with Saudi authorities to track down and apprehend all drug traffickers attempting to use the pilgrimage as a cover. Marwa stressed the agency’s steadfast mission despite facing funding challenges in fully implementing the National Drug Control Master Plan.
The arrests underscore the dangers faced by pilgrims and the relentless efforts by drug cartels to exploit any avenue for their illicit trade, even sacred religious journeys.
