NDLEA arrests 28-year-old man with N81m worth of cocaine
(Nigeria) The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has
arrested a 28-year-old man, Maduagwu Charles, at the Malam Aminu Kano
International Airport, Kano, with three kilogrammes cocaine.
The NDLEA Commander in charge of the airport, Mr Ambrose
Umoru, made the disclosure on Thursday in Kano while briefing newsmen on the
arrest.
He said that ``the high-grade pure cocaine worth N81 million
can make up to nine kilogrammes of the substance when diluted.’’
Umoru said the suspect was apprehended during screening of
passengers of Egypt Air Flight Number MS 879.
He added that ``the suspect boarded Ethiopian Airline flight
No. ET 507 from Sao Paulo in Brazil and transited to Cairo, Egypt, before
arriving in Kano via Egypt Airline.
``The substance was neatly sealed in the body-hollow of two
loud speakers brought by the suspect.’’
The commander said the substance was concealed in a new mode
of concealment by drug merchants, adding that the suspect would be charged to
court after investigation.
He warned drug barons and other carriers to desist from the
illegal act as the agency would continue to discover their new modus operandi
at the airport.
Answering questions from newsmen, Charles admitted being in
possession of two loud speakers but denied knowledge of the substance.
He said that the loud speakers belonged to a stranger he met
at the airport and offered to assist him to bring them down to Nigeria.
He said ``yes, I was caught with three kilogrammes of
cocaine but I didn’t know what I was carrying. I met somebody who identified
himself as a Nigerian in Egypt while I was making a call. He discovered that I
was coming to Nigeria and he pleaded with me to assist him to deliver the
speakers to somebody here in Kano.
``He gave me an MTN Sim card and asked me to activate it
when I come to Nigeria so that the owner of the loud speakers can call me for
his property, but I did not know that cocaine was concealed inside.’’
Charles, who said he is from Imo, added that he had lived in
Brazil for 18 months ``and all the while, I was engaged in menial jobs.’’
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