Lebanese Man Arrested at Lagos Airport for Smuggling Drugs in Underwear

A Lebanese man has been arrested in the airport of the Nigerian city of Lagos for trying to smuggle drugs to Lebanon in his boxer shorts, the head of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said Wednesday.

Yves Awad, 23, was apprehended by officials of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with about 260 grams of cocaine at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

The suspect was about to board a Middle East Airlines flight to Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport when the arrest took place.

Awad, who holds dual citizenship of Nigeria and Lebanon, said he was born in Nigeria, but had his university education in Lebanon.

He told security operatives that a friend asked him to buy the drugs for him.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport Hamza Umar said the drugs were “hidden inside Awad's boxer shorts.”

“He was found to have traveled to Nigeria from Lebanon six times since January 2015,” he said.

Umar added that the suspect would soon be taken to trial for the unlawful possession and exportation of cocaine, which carries an imprisonment of 15 years if found guilty.

G.K.

H.K.