NDLEA Nabs Congolese with Over $240,000 Hidden In Dictionaries

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has on Thursday uncovered a currency trafficking syndicate with the seizure of two hundred and forty thousand ($240,000) United States dollars hidden inside dictionaries at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

Mfundu Angela, a 39 year-old Congolese and fashion designer, who attempted exporting the suspected fake dollars to Congo-Kinshasa through Cargolux airline has been apprehended by the anti-narcotic officers.

Mictchell Ofoyeju, spokesperson for the Agency, disclosed this in a press release made available to aviation journalists

Mr. Hamza Umar, NDLEA commander at the Lagos Airport, said that the seizure was made following reasonable suspicion on the consignment.

“The suspect who hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo brought a sewing machine and a bag containing clothes and five dictionaries for export to Congo. There was high suspicion on the consignment and in the process of search, the dictionaries were found to contain twenty-four (24) envelopes containing ten thousand dollars ($10,000) each” Hamza stated.

The suspect, a divorcee and mother of two said that the dollars were given to her by her boyfriend. In her words, “I am a fashion designer from DR Congo. I have two children but my husband and I have been separated. I came to Nigeria in search of greener pastures in 2006. It was my boyfriend that gave me the dictionaries to send to Congo”.

Ahmadu Giade, chairman/chief executive of the NDLEA, described the discovery as a big boost for airport and border security in the country. “This remarkable seizure is a big boost for our airport and border security. It is an indication that criminal groups are fast becoming inept based on our superior search operations” Giade stated.

At the end of preliminary investigation, the suspect will be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and legal action.