A
commercial tricyclist in Owerri, the Imo State capital, and an Abuja-based
trader have been caught by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
officials at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos with
6.390kg of substances that tested positive for heroin.
One
of them, Cajetan Chinedu Egwin, was arrested on arrival from Kigali, Rwanda;
the other, King Sunday, was nabbed on arrival from Nairobi, Kenya.
The
drug with an estimated street value of N575 million was hidden in their
luggage.
Egwin,
32, was caught with 3.900kg of heroin and Sunday, 38, was found with 2.490kg of
heroin.
NDLEA
Lagos Airport Commander Ahmadu Garba said: “Egwin arrived from Kigali on a
Rwanda Airline flight while Sunday imported the drug found on him from Nairobi
during inward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight. The
suspects are being investigated.
“Preliminary
investigation by the agency, however, indicated that drug trafficking cartels
are gradually changing their mode of operation by turning to African countries
in sourcing narcotic drugs like heroin.
The
suspects were also recruited for a fee to import the drugs into the country.
Egwin who is not married said he needed money to repair his commercial tricycle
while Sunday who left his wife after four days of marriage under the guise of a
business trip said that he needed money for his honeymoon and business.”
Egwin,
a commercial tricycle rider in Owerri told investigators that he needed money
to change his tricycle.
“The
engine of my tricycle which is my only source of livelihood is bad. While I was
looking for money to fix it, I was introduced to the man that promised to pay
me N400,000 on the condition that I will bring his drug from Kigali. I accepted
the offer because nobody was willing to help me. Apart from the repairs, my
rent is due and my landlord has been asking for his money,” he said.
Sunday
said he made a mistake in dabbling to drug traffic stating: “I erroneously took
the decision to smuggle drugs barely four days after my marriage. I was in need
of money for my honeymoon and also for my business but I should not have involved
myself in drug trafficking. My thinking was that I could smuggle the drug from
Nairobi in two days without my wife knowing that I travelled out of the
country. All my life, I have been upright in my transactions but this is a huge
mistake and I regret my action.”
NDLEA’s
Chairman/Chief Executive Col Muhammad Abdallah (rtd) said drug traffickers were
turning to African countries to smuggle heroin produced in Afghanistan,
Pakistan, India, Thailand and other far away countries.
”The
Agency successfully foiled their plan with the arrest and seizure of the drugs.
Drug cartels thought it would be easy to smuggle the drugs into the country
since heroin is not produced in Africa but I am happy that we are thinking far
ahead of them,” he said.
Source:The
Nation
Tags
Society