The National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday arrested Tochukwu Nzom, 46, for allegedly
inserting 225 grammes of cocaine in his anus.
He was about boarding an Air
France flight to Paris, France at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport
(MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos when he was arrested. He tested positive for narcotics
on being screened.
NDLEA airport commander
Hamza Umar said two others – Henry Idehen and Peter Ilemena – were caught with
915 grammes and 1.225 kilogrammes of cocaine while returning from Brazil on an
Emirates flight.
Idehen ingested 56 wraps
weighing 915 grammes; Ilemena concealed 1.225 kilogrammes of cocaine. The total
weight of the drugs seized from the suspects is 2.365 kilogrammes”.
Nzom, an auto parts dealer,
who hails from Anambra State is married and has two children.
He said he would have been
paid $1,500.
“I was drinking with friends
when I heard them talking about drugs. I actually volunteered to smuggle drugs
because of my financial situation. They agreed to pay me $1,500 because it was
only three wraps weighing 225 grammes. I am from a poor home,” Nzom said.
Ilemena said he too
requested to smuggle drugs because of financial hardship.
“I am from Enugu State. I am
married to a Brazilian woman and we have a child. I work as a salesboy in a
supermarket. I overheard some of my friends discussing about drugs and I
indicated interest. That was how it started. The drug was packed in a bag for
me and they promised to pay me $2,500. I am so sad, disappointed and ashamed of
myself,” he said.
Idehen, who lived in Brazil
for about a decade, admitted making “a costly mistake.” “I did not know what
came over me. I have been a hard-working person since my childhood. My wife and
three children are in Benin while I struggle in Brazil as the bread winner. My
son gained admission into the university and he is very brilliant. I needed to
pay for his tuition and other expenses. I would have made $12,000 from the drug
deal,” he said.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief
Executive Ahmadu Giade said: “It is worrisome for the suspects to voluntarily
smuggle drugs. This shows that they are morally bankrupt. The agency will not
relent in the fight against drug trafficking,” Giade said.
The Nation
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