‘I swallowed 45 wraps of cocaine because of N5m’

Daniel

One of the two suspects, arrested during the Christmas holiday for smuggling  illicit drug, has said he did because he wanted to make N5million.

The suspect, Achebe Chuks David, an electronic dealer at Alaba International Market,  said: “This is my first time of dealing in drugs. My friend in Hong Kong introduced me to cocaine smuggling. He sent the drug to me at Alaba through a young man. The cocaine was in a black polythene bag, containing plantain and pineapples. I swallowed the 45 wraps in my toilet without my wife's knowledge. I was promised the sum of N5m which I had wanted to use in importing electronics. At the airport, they told me that scanning machine has indicated that I have drugs on me.”

David and the second suspect, Ndukwe Daniel, 43, were arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

David, an importer of electronics, was arrested on his way to Hong Kong.

Daniel, who lives in Athens, Greece was also apprehended in connection with unlawful possession of wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine.

The NDLEA spokesman, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the arrests were made at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, during screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight to Hong Kong and Egypt Airline flight to Athens.

Ofoyeju said: Preliminary investigation suggests that the suspects had targeted the Christmas holiday to smuggle cocaine out of the country; but drug law enforcement officials at the Lagos airport were able to uncover their plan.  The total weight of cocaine seized from the suspects is 1.150kgs. The high expectations of both suspects making quick money this festive season from drug trafficking had been dashed by vigilant anti-narcotic officers.”

According to the NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba,  David, 37, excreted 45 wraps of cocaine he ingested, which weighed 935 grammes while  Daniel, excreted five wraps of cocaine weighing 215 grammes.

Garba said: "Both suspects tested positive for narcotic ingestion and while under observation, they expelled wraps of cocaine which they had wanted to smuggle out of the country. The suspects are currently under investigation."

Daniel said that he was asked to smuggle five wraps of cocaine for the sum of N250,000.

He said: "I have lived in Athens for over a decade. I lost my job last year and things have been very bad financially. I came to Nigeria to visit my wife and two children. I had no plan to smuggle drugs until a friend called me from Athens that I should bring five wraps of cocaine. Since it is only five wraps I felt it will be an easy task. He sent someone to give me the wraps in Umuahia. I inserted the five wraps in my anus in Lagos but the scanning machine was able to detect it. I feel very sad."