Posted by 9jabook.com on November 19, 2009 at 10:52am
14 Wraps of heroin sniffed out from lady’s hair
By CHRIS ANUCHA
It is said that a woman’s beauty is her hair. But that can no longer be said of Angela Okiri, who was arrested recently at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport(MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, over hard drug.
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According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA), she concealed fourteen wraps on her well braided hair.
The 31 years old suspect from Edo State, also swallowed fifty-six wraps of heroin and packed twenty-two wraps inside sanitary pad in her handbag.
Angela was among the four suspects nabbed recently by the narcotic agents.
One of the suspects was attempting to smuggle narcotics into the country from Brazil, while the other three suspects were arrested on their way out of the country to Europe. Other suspects were, Anekwe Ugochukwu, 28, who ingested eighty-one wraps of cocaine weighing 1.285kg, Anisiebo Arinze, 45, who ingested sixty-eight wraps of cocaine and Esimone Amanchukwu, 33, that ingested eighty-two wraps of cocaine weighing 988 grammes.
The suspects were detected with the assistance of scanning machine donated to the Agency by the United States of America.
Impressed by the arrest and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, called for more public support for the Agency. While reaffirming the commitment of the Nigerian government to the anti-narcotic crusade, he vowed that all drug trafficking syndicates would be brought to book. Giade stressed that the Agency would leave no stone unturned in the fight against illicit drugs, adding that intense undercover operations were going on to dismantle more illegal drug cartels.
Arinze, who had lived in Germany for the past nineteen years was nabbed while on his way to London. He ingested the drug for a fee of 5,000 pounds.
He said: “I live in Stuttgart, Germany, where I work as a labourer, but I lost my job in August last year. I came to Nigeria in November 2, 2009, to attend a burial ceremony. It was in the village that I met an old friend, who asked me to traffick drugs to London. I agreed because of the money involved, because I needed to complete the traditional marriage ceremony of my wife. I only did the introduction in January and there is pressure on me. I ingested sixty-eight pieces of the drug in my village, Umuoji in Anambra State.”
Ananchukwu was to board KLM flight to Amsterdam, on his way to Hamburg, Germany, when he tested positive to drug ingestion. The suspect said he decided to smuggle drugs to settle his creditors. “I am heavily indebted and my dad is sick. I swallowed eighty-two pieces of drugs and would have been given 3,500 Euros.” Anthony, who was smuggling the illicit drugs into Nigeria was apprehended in a South African Airline from Sao-Paulo Brazil, through South Africa. According to him, he went to Brazil five months ago and was stranded. “I was stranded in Brazil.
Though, I was working in a restaurant, the salary could not pay my rent. When I got the offer to send the drugs to Togo, I was happy, because I saw hell these five months in Brazil,” he stated.
Angela, had lived 11 years in Bergmo, Italy, where she worked as a labourer in factories.
She was arrested during screening of passengers on Alitalia flight. The suspect, whose final destination was Torino, stated that some friends introduced her into the drug business, after being jobless for several months due to the economic recession. “Having lost my job for some months, I am now into trading but things are difficult. I wanted some money to expand my business.
They gave me ninety-two wraps out of which, I could only swallow 56. So, I hid some in my handbag and some in my hair. I thought that they would not see them. They would have paid me 4,000 Euros,” she lamented.
According to the NDLEA spokesman, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, all the suspects would appear in Court soon.
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