A 48-year-old France-bound businessman and prospective footballer, Emmanuel Orjinze has been arrested after failed attempts to traffic 111 wraps of cocaine on May 21.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted Orijinze at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja upon suspicion that he was not clean.

During the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 from Abuja to Paris, a body scan confirmed he ingested illicit drugs, he was immediately taken into custody.

The suspect, after days of observation in the agency custody, excreted the pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.603 kilograms over a period of three days.

When interrogated, Orijinze “claimed he does business in the maritime sector while still scouting for any European football club to engage him,” a statement by the NDLEA, signed by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi revealed on Sunday.

The development followed the arrest of four members of the network and the seizure of a total of 8kg of methamphetamine and 7.60kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from South Africa.

The lid was blown off the syndicate when an official within the airport system was intercepted with a backpack and a bag at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the airport by NDLEA officers with the support of Aviation Security officers on May 21.

“A search of the bags led to the discovery of the illicit substances.

“A swift follow-up operation at the Ajao Estate area of Lagos led to the arrest of two other members of the syndicate: Chris Nwadozie and Chinedu Nwaosu.

“Further investigation led to the arrest of another member of the cartel working within the airport system on Saturday 25th May,” the statement read.