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| Glory |
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| Akpaka |
A lady, who was unwittingly recruited
into drug trafficking by a fiancé she met on Facebook, residing in Malaysia,
has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA).
The suspect, Ezeabata Uju Gloria was
arrested during screening of passengers on an Ethiopian airline flight on her
way to Malaysia at the departure hall.
Gloria, who works with an accounting
firm in Lagos admitted having a Facebook relationship that got her involved in
drug trafficking.
She added: “I met a man on Facebook
some months ago who lives in Malaysia. He told me while chatting online that he
is from my State, Anambra in South East Nigeria. After some months, he proposed
marriage and I told him to come to Nigeria to meet with my parents as our
custom demands. He promised to fulfill every marriage rite. Months later, he
invited me to Malaysia, promising to pay all the travel expenses. After several
appeals, I decided to visit him. The day I was to travel, he told me to take
along a bag of foodstuff sent by his mother from the village. I was given the
bag at the airport but in the process of checking it in, drug was discovered
inside packs of noodles in the bag and I was arrested.”
Substances that tested positive for
methamphetamine weighing 1.325kg were detected in her luggage.
The drug was concealed in 26 packs
of noodles in a bag of foodstuff containing plantain, pepper, melon and other
spices.
Further investigation led to the
arrest of one Mr. Philip Maduabuchi Akpaka, 39, who allegedly coordinated the
travel arrangement for Gloria and gave her the bag containing the drugs.
NDLEA commander at the Lagos
airport, Ahmadu Garba said that Gloria was arrested following the discovery of
methamphetamine in her luggage.
Philip also admitted preparing the
travel documents of Gloria on the request of his friend based in Malaysia.
His words: “I’m a transporter. My
friend in Malaysia asked me to prepare travel documents for Gloria. He also
asked me to give a bag to Gloria to take to Malaysia.”
Both suspects will soon be charged
to court for conspiracy, unlawful possession and exportation of narcotic drugs.
The acting Chairman of the NDLEA,
Mrs. Roli Bode-George said that the arrest of the lady, turned out to be a lifeline
as drug trafficking is punishable by death in Malaysia.
According to Bode-George, “the
Agency has uncovered plot by drug trafficking organisations to use the social
media for recruitment of drug mules. After a painstaking surveillance, we have
successfully foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs to Malaysia by a courier
recruited online via Facebook. Some of the tricks to watch out for include
marriage proposals to unsuspecting female victims, unsolicited generosity like
cash and other gift items as well as offering all-expense paid trip to Asia, Europe,
America and South Africa. This arrest is significant considering the fact that
Malaysia recently sentenced a Nigerian to death for drug trafficking. The mode
of recruitment is also instructive because of its mass appeal to youths. I
expect lovers of social media to learn from this arrest.”
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