NDLEA nabs 22 year old Thailand-based Nigerian with drugs

Luck ran out of a 22 year old Nigerian who lives in Thailand as officials of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency caught him with 1.295kg worth of drugs.

IlechukwuEjikonye Jude said that he invested seven hundred and fifty thousand (750,000) naira into drug trafficking.

According to a statement by the NDLEA, he was apprehended with 1.295kg of substances found to be methamphetamine on his way to Thailand.

“The drug was hidden inside his luggage and was detected during the screening of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, MrHamza Umar said that the drug was carefully hidden in the suspects’ luggage. “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.

According to Ilechukwu, he was lured into the drug deal by a friend he met in Thailand. In his words, “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 realised I had made a big mistake”.

Ilechukwu attended Okija Community primary School and Okija Grammar School before he started business.

Similarly, a 36 year old suspected drug trafficker Akpata Martin Chukwudi who was given 800 dollars for ingesting 20 wraps of cocaine has narrated his ordeal in the hands of his sponsors. He ingested the drug in Brazil and was apprehended at the Lagos Airport. The suspect tested positive to drug ingestion during the inward screening of passengers on Qatar Airline flight. While he was on observation, the suspect allegedly excreted 20 wraps of cocaine weighing 350 grammes.  The suspect during interrogation owned up to the crime stating that if he had known, he would not have been involved in drug trafficking.

In his words, “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”.

Akpata is single and hails from Olo in Enugu State. He attended Central Primary School Olo. According to NDLEA Lagos Airport Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, “investigation revealed that Akpata left Nigeria to Venezuela where he lived for several months before he relocated to Brazil since January 2012. He was apprehended at the arrival hall of the airport when he tested positive to drug ingestion”.

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, AhmaduGiade said that the Agency will investigate all cases and bring drug culprits to justice. “The Agency is prepared to bring drug barons to justice. Our target is to reduce the drug problem to the barest minimum” Giade stated.