Following their arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for ingesting the illicit drug, two drug traffickers, Elvis Uche Iro, 53, and Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian, 42, have excreted a total of 165 wraps of cocaine.
While being held in the custody of the agency, they excreted the drugs.
Elvis, who is 53 years old and a father of four children, comes from Abiriba in Abia state’s Ohafia Local Government Area. On Saturday, March 19th, he was apprehended while boarding an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis-Ababa for ingesting 65 cocaine pellets weighing 1.376kg.
During the preliminary interview, he claimed is an interior decorator but had to go into drug trafficking because he needed money to start a coffee business, take care of his family and stock his newly acquired shop with curtain materials/accessories in Lagos. He said he would have been paid one thousand ($1,000) on the successful delivery of the drug in Abuja.
Another passenger on the same flight, 42-year-old Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian was also arrested on arrival for ingesting 100 pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 2.243kg. Ikenna, who hails from Ojoto, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra state claims he is a businessman dealing in babywear before venturing into drug trafficking.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that during preliminary interview, Ikenna said he traveled to Addis Ababa on Thursday 17th March to buy the drug for ten thousand ($10,000) and returned on Saturday 19th March when he was arrested. He said he sold his land in his village and took loans from friends to be able to raise money to buy the drug.
He claimed he had to go into drug to raise money for his business after being duped of fifteen thousand ($15,000) by his friend who lives in
China.
In a related development, narcotic officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation, DOGI, have intercepted substantial quantities of Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Cannabis sativa packaged for export to Australia, China, Qatar, Ireland, and Thailand through some courier companies in Lagos.
While 2.9kg of Methamphetamine in packs of black soup and toner machine heading to Australia and Qatar was intercepted; 600grams of Cocaine concealed in school certificates and file folders going to Australia and Thailand were equally seized.
No less than 25.5kg cannabis concealed in packs of Dudu Osun soap and tins of palm fruit extracts (banga) heading to China and Ireland was also seized at a courier company in Lagos.
Meanwhile, 2,293.324 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs and seven hundred and ninety-one thousand, one hundred naira (N791, 100. 00) were recovered in major raids by operatives in Ogun, Rivers, and Enugu State in the past week.
In Rivers, operatives on Thursday 24th March raided the notorious Abuja Water Front of Port Harcourt City following information provided by arrested suspects, on their sources of supply.
A total of three suspects: Larry Samuel; Mark James and Happiness Joseph were arrested at the drug hub with 339.524kg of Cannabis Sativa, Methamphetamine and Tramadol seized and N791, 100.00 cash recovered from them while another drug dealer in the area Uduak Paul Emmanuel remains at large.
In Ogun, a 30-year-old lady, Peace Egidigbo, was arrested with 1863kg of Cannabis Sativa in Mowe, Obafemi/Owode LGA on Wednesday 23rd March, while no less than 150 blocks of cannabis weighing 90.800kg were seized from the cargo compartment of a bus owned by a transport company along Orji River via Onitsha Express Road, Enugu State.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), in his reaction, commended the officers and men of NAIA, DOGI, Rivers, Ogun, and Enugu commands of the agency for their diligence and vigilance. He charged them to always strive to raise the bar in their operational feats.