NDLEA arrests suspected drug peddler

BY DANIEL ETEGHE
LAGOS —THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday arrested a drug suspect with 1.295 kilogrammes of methamphetamine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight on his way to Thailand.

The 22-year-old suspect, Mr. Ilechukwu Ejikonye, who claimed to have invested about N750,000 into drug trafficking was apprehended by officers of the anti-narcotic agency who detected the drugs during the outward screening of passengers.

Speaking on the arrest, NDLEA Commander at the Airport, Mr Hamza Umar said that the drug was carefully hidden in the suspects’ luggage in a bid to beat officers of the agency.

“Like several factory modes of drug concealment, we had to practically cut the bag open to detect the drugs. Ordinarily when you open the bag you will not see the drug. We found two brown parcels of drugs weighing 1.295kg” Hamza stated.

He further noted that the agency has also apprehended a 36 years old suspect, Mr. Akpata Martin Chukwudi who ingested twenty wraps of cocaine on his way from Brazil.

According to Hamza, the suspect was arrested upon arrival at the MurtalaMuhammedInternationalAirport, Lagos when he tested positive to drug ingestion during the inward screening of passengers on Qatar Airline flight adding that the suspect excreted twenty wraps of cocaine weighting about 350 grammes while he was kept on observation.

Narrating his ordeals, one of the suspects, Mr. Ilechukwu Ejikonye said that he was lured into the drug deal by a friend he met in Thailand.

“I am a business man. I relocated to Thailand last year where I buy goods and send to Nigeria. It was in Thailand that I met a man who introduced me into drug business. He gave my number to his partner in Lagos who lodged me in a hotel. They made me to contribute 750,000 naira as my contribution and promised me a handsome reward on arrival in Thailand. My focus was on the profit that will accrue to me, it was when I was arrested that I realized I had made a big mistake” he said.

Also Mr. Akpata Martin Chukwudi said “I saw hell trying to ingest the drugs in Brazil. They brought about 100 wraps but I was only able to ingest 20. They were angry and disappointed but the more I force myself the more difficult it was for me to swallow. Eventually, they gave me 800 dollars in anger instead of 5,000 dollars. I actually decided to smuggle drugs because I needed money to settle my mother’s hospital bill”.

Meanwhile, NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade said that the Agency would investigate all cases and bring drug culprits to justice stressing that they would all be charged to court soon.

“The Agency is prepared to bring drug barons to justice. Our target is to reduce the drug problem to the barest minimum” Giade stated.