Six persons arrested in Lagos for swallowing $156,000 in desperate money laundering bid

SIX persons including a Bureau de Change (BDC) operator have been arrested by the police at a hotel in Lagos for allegedly trying to swallow $156,000 in a desperate money laundering bid.

 

In a bizarre incident, men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) joint task force smashed the money-laundering syndicate at the hotel along Airport Road, Ikeja in Lagos. This is the second suspected money laundering case involving a BDC operator in two months.

 

Kingsley Nwokenta, the BDC operator, who is also known as Buchito, was picked up alongside Augustine Onwuasoanya and Christian Ifor, who are based in Brazil. Others arrested during the raid include Emmanuel Nwokenta, Ikenna Ezenwa and Uzoma Ezenwa, the hotel manager.

 

NDLEA joint task force commander Muyiwa Adeniyi, described the BDC operator as the brain behind the criminal act. Under the scheme, Mr Nwokenta supplied $120,000 to be swallowed and exported to Brazil.

 

In the latest incident, Mr Onwuasoanya swallowed 74 wraps of dollar bills amounting to $111,000, while Mr Ifor swallowed $45,000. Mr Nwokenta, the manager of Amazon Bureau de Change, played a supportive role in the alleged crime, while Mr Ezenwa was hired to wrap the money.

 

NDLEA chairman Ahmadu Giade, has warned that BDC operators who fail to work within the law establishing them would be sanctioned. He has already directed that the suspects from the latest arrest be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.