Adebayo Adenrele
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mary Yetunde Barek, after intercepting 13 kilograms of cocaine ingeniously concealed inside fake plantain peels at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
This was contained in a statement released by the agency on Sunday through its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
He said that the suspect, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
According to the NDLEA, officers who conducted a thorough search of her luggage uncovered 31 large wraps of cocaine packaged to resemble fresh hands of plantain and hidden among food items.
The statement reads, “The suspect who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic airline flight to London on Sunday 28th June 2026.
“A thorough search of her bags resulted in the discovery of 31 big wraps of cocaine which were packaged to appear like plantain hands, weighing a total of 13 kilograms.
“In her statement, the elderly woman admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits”.
