The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on Friday said it had discovered a suspected drug trafficking cartel at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

The agency’s spokesperson, Mitchel Ofoyeju, said in Lagos that two of it personnel, Daniel Goska and Ndubuisi Ughor, who have been indicted, have been summarily dismissed and declared wanted.

According to him, other suspected members of the  trafficking ring include Ifeanyichukwu Dayson and Emmanuel Okorie, an operations manager with Ethiopian Airline.

Ofoyeju also said one Henry Amaechi, a supervisor at the Passenger Service Department of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company and Jacob Ezeugwu, a ticket and baggage staff at the airport, were among the suspects.

Reacting to the development, the NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, described the mode of operation of the drug cartel as strange.

While lamenting the desperation of drug barons, Giade said the agency was committed to dismantling drug trafficking organisations in the country.

He explained that the group’s activities were exposed when narcotic officials aborted the exportation of 74.7kg of narcotic drug that tested positive for Ephedrine.

“The drug was packed in three bags. Two of the bags weighing 50.7kg and were destined for Maputo, Mozambique while the third bag weighing 24kg was destined for Johannesburg, South Africa.

“The 74.7kg of Ephedrine had been properly marked as exhibits and tendered as evidence before a Federal High Court sitting in Enugu,” the NDLEA boss explained.

He said that the cartel apparently used the operations manager of the airline they want to use to identify identify passengers with bags that do not weight much, who names they used in tagging the drug consignment.

Giade said thereafter the cartel contacts a partner at the destination airport to collect the consignment.