The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday said its operatives have arrested a 23-year-old suspected drug trafficker, Okoguale Douglas, with heroin at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
It said the suspect, who was arrested while trying to board a Milan, Italy bound flight, had excreted 59 wraps of heroin weighing 781.2 grams.
The agency’s Director, Media, and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement titled ‘Italy-bound heroin intercepted at Abuja airport, NDLEA nabs trafficker.’
The statement read in part, “Douglas, who hails from Uromi in Esan North-East Local Government area of Edo State, was arrested by operatives of the NDLEA, during an outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight number 910 at the boarding gate of the airport en route Abuja-Addis Ababa- Milan (Italy) after being scanned, which proved positive for ingestion.
“Under interrogation, he claimed he has been residing in Italy since 2011 after entering the country via Libya with one of his uncles.
“He said he works as a restaurant attendant in Italy where he earns 900 Euro per month and also works as a painter on his free days and gets about 400 Euro upon completion of any work. He also confessed he was promised 2000 Euro if he successfully delivers the drug to Milan, Italy.
“He said he came to Nigeria on April 4, 2021 for the burial of his late father in Esan, Edo State and after spending so much during the burial, he ran out of money, a situation that made him to ask for financial support from one of his Nigerian friends resident in Italy.
“He further claimed that his friend then told him he would send him money on the ground that he will collect a consignment for him from one other friend of his in Nigeria. To facilitate that, he promised to send him a number to call.”
The statement further quoted the suspect as saying that contrary to the initial arrangement, he was called by a man on April 29 and was asked to come to Abuja where he was picked by two other unknown men from Utako area and lodged in a hotel which he claimed he doesn’t know the address.
“The suspect also claimed that the two men brought the wrapped drug to him in a hotel on Friday night after which he swallowed the 59 pellets early on Saturday May 1, 2021 and was promised 2000 Euro on successful delivery to Milan, Italy,” the statement added.
The statement also quoted the agency’s commander, NAIA Command, Kabir Tsakuwa, as saying efforts were still ongoing to unravel other suspects connected to the crime.
