Darlugar
Operatives
of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport, Lagos, have arrested a South African football
coach, Steven Darlugar, for drug trafficking.
The 38-year-old suspect was said to have been arrested during the screening of Arik Air passengers on board to South Africa.
It was gathered that Darlugar, who
coaches a football team in South Africa, had neatly packaged the drugs
weighing 1.54 kilogrammes in a compartment before the officials at the
airport unravelled his gimmick. The drugs, it was learnt, tested
positive for methamphetamine.
While confessing to the crime, the father
of one said he took to smuggling to augment his income, adding that he
would have made a proceed of $6,000 if he had succeeded in carrying out
the crime.
“I am married with a child and have lived
in South Africa for about a decade. I coach a team in South Africa. I
have worked very hard to attain financial freedom, but have nothing in
return. This is my first time of smuggling drugs. I was under financial
pressure to cope with peers. A friend introduced me to drug trafficking
as a way of making quick money. They promised to pay me $6,000 to take
the bag containing the drugs to South Africa.”
The agency’s commander at the MMIA, Mr. Hamza Umar, confirmed the crime.
He said, “Dalugar was apprehended on his
way to South Africa. He was found in possession of 1.54kg of substances
that tested positive for methamphetamine. The drug was concealed in a
false compartment of the suspect’s luggage.”
The NDLEA Chairman, Mr. Ahmadu Giade,
called on members of the public to support the agency in its efforts to
phase out drug trafficking in the country. He added that the suspect
would be charged to court at the end of the investigation.
He said, “We have made remarkable
improvement in our counter-narcotic efforts. The agency is prepared to
detect hidden drugs and prosecute the drug barons. Members of the public
should avoid drug trafficking and report suspected cases to the agency.
This way, a good measure of drug control will be achieved in the
country. The suspect will be charged to court soon.”
PUNCH
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