PREMIUM TIMES
The day was 1 August 2023. Christian Uwaezuoke arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos to board his Ethiopian Airline flight to India. Of average height, nothing about the 43-year-old businessman stood out from the rest of the passengers, but a body scan would reveal something different.
Checks by airport security showed that Mr Uwaezuoke had ingested 1.822 kilogrammes of cocaine. Further investigations revealed that not only had he used a passport reflecting a false identity, but he was also on the police wanted list after jumping bail more than a year before.
Earlier in March 2022, Mr Uwaezuoke had been arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during the inward clearance of another Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was found to have ingested cocaine weighing 2.243 kilogrammes.
He was later granted bail but jumped bail.
Following his arrest in August 2023, he was re-arraigned on March 20 at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. After considering his lack of remorse, the gravity of the drug-related offences, and his status as a repeat offender, Justice Abdulmalik delivered a guilty verdict and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Mr Uwaezuoke’s arrest and conviction is one of thousands documented in press releases and published by the NDLEA on its official website.
The press releases contain details such as the names and nationalities of the suspected drug traffickers, the type and weight of the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, the drug concealment strategy, as well as the airline and airport used by the inbound or outbound trafficker.
PREMIUM TIMES examined these press statements for the year between June 2023 and June 2024. We curated the data on every arrest announced by the agency and found some interesting patterns.
Analysis of the data showed that Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways were the most commonly used airlines among arrested drug traffickers. Notably, out of 36 drug suspects arrested at airports by NDLEA during the review period, 11 (30.5 per cent) had tickets for Ethiopian Airlines, same for Qatar Airways, indicating a significant presence of drug trafficking activity on these carriers.
Ethiopian Airlines operates from Addis Ababa and is the largest airline in Africa, operating more than 125 destinations, while Qatar Airways flies to over 170 international destinations across five continents.
Interestingly, this is not the first time this trend has been observed. NDLEA’s annual report for 2015 to 2022 shows Ethiopian Airlines among the top four airlines used by drug traffickers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Further analysis indicates that in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022, the airline topped the list of airlines used by drug traffickers at the Lagos airport.
Questions have been raised regarding the frequency at which drug traffickers use certain international operators. Nigeria’s rising influence in the illicit drug trade has also fueled a national concern. Why do drug traffickers prefer to fly certain airlines, what can an airline do to mitigate drug trafficking, and are airlines liable when drug traffickers use their flights?
The Director of Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, explained that drug barons patronise airlines that regularly fly on their drug routes and provide connecting flights to their final destinations.
He said these connecting flights are crucial due to the trafficking strategy used by drug barons to avoid detection by drug enforcement agencies.
“These traffickers move in Zig-Zag; they don’t move straight. For instance, a consignment may come from Brazil to Nigeria and ultimately still find its way to Europe, Asia, or even the Americas. So it’s the route that they are likely going to use,” he stated.
The Global Report on Cocaine 2023, released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), explained this phenomenon better. The report states that large airlines with direct connectivity to a large number of destinations play a crucial role as transit points for drug trafficking on passenger flights.
“In the case of trafficking into and out of Nigeria, one interviewee indicated that these hubs include airports in Ethiopia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, corresponding to hubs of airlines offering connectivity between South America and Africa.
“Based on analysis of the itinerary of 150 mules on passenger flights who were arrested during August 2020-May 2021 while trafficking drugs into, or out of, Nigeria or Benin, (respectively from Brazil, or to Europe) Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) emerged as a particularly frequent transit airport,” the report stated.
Some airlines, staff are complicit – Former drug trafficker
But there is more.
In a bare-it-all interview with PREMIUM TIMES, a former drug trafficker, Felix Johnson (not real name), disclosed that while traffickers often undertake feasibility studies on the best route, airline, and airport that guarantee a successful trip, international carriers like Ethiopian Airlines are drug traffickers’ favourite because of the airline’s slack security measures.
“The route determines the airline we board. We choose a flight route that gives at least a 90 to 95 per cent guarantee that any drug we traffic will not be detected. We also prefer to board transit flights that board and leave immediately. Keeping luggage containing illicit drugs around the airport for days could be dangerous.
“Ethiopian Airlines knows what is going on. Because the airline brings a lot of income, they train their workers to relax the security protocol. Their security check-in is very free. As long as the drug is not obvious, they allow you to go,” Mr Johnson claimed.
Asked why drug trafficking is thriving despite several arrests by NDLEA, Mr Johnson explained that deep-seated corruption and the country’s deteriorating economy have pushed many into crime.
“The problem is that everyone is corrupt. Even airline officials, air hosts and hostesses and even pilots are corrupt, but you will not know. We have pilots that will take the drugs into the airplane and we will pick it up from them after boarding.
“Many Nigerians still go into drug trafficking because of desperation to get wealth at any cost. The bad economy does not make the situation better,” he added.