Nigerian officials seized 19.4 kg (42.77 pounds) of cocaine worth 4.66 billion naira ($2.93 million) from a passenger who arrived at Lagos airport on a flight from Ethiopia, its anti-drug agency said on Tuesday.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it arrested a 48-year Nigerian businessman, who had been convicted of trafficking last year but paid a fine to avoid jail time, on Sept. 18. He was allegedly carrying 817 wraps of cocaine.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with over 200 million people, has in recent years gone from being a transit point for gangs moving drugs between South America and Europe to a full-blown consumer and distributor.

"The agency will continue to work to disrupt the activities of drug cartels operating in the country," NDLEA chief Mohammed Buba Marwa said in a statement.