A 38-year-old man, Jude Izuchukwu, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while trying to smuggle a 9.375 kilogramme of compressed cannabis out of the country.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect, who claimed to be “living from hand to mouth,” was apprehended on Monday by officials of NDLEA while attempting to board an Ethiopian flight to China.
Our correspondent learnt that the drug was found inside the suspect’s foodstuff. The contraband drug, according to NDLEA Airport Commander, Hamza Umar, was detected when Izuchukwu came to register his luggage at the airport before take-off.
“Officers detected the drug when the suspect, Izuchukwu, came to check in his luggage on his way to China. The cannabis was concealed in dried fish, dried bitter leaf, crayfish, melon and other local food spices. The weight of the cannabis is 9.375kg,” Hamza said.
The suspect said he had bought the cannabis for ₦104, 000.
The Anambra-born alleged smuggler claimed he was forced into drug trafficking as a result of poverty. He said life had not been easy for him and his family since he was duped of ₦5m.
“I sell clothes on Lagos Island. My business was doing well until I was duped of ₦5m. Since then, I have been living from hand to mouth.
“I bought the hemp for ₦104, 000 and I learnt that I could sell it for $9,000 in China. That was the reason I decided to smuggle drugs,” Izuckwu said.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said the suspect’s reason for engaging in the crime was baseless.
“Somebody who could afford a return ticket and buy drugs worth ₦100, 000 is not a pauper,” Giade said.
He said he was happy that the suspect was arrested in Nigeria, adding that he might have faced the death penalty if apprehended in China.
The Punch
Lagos
May 8, 2014
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