Two Men Nabbed with 700g of Cocaine in Lagos Airport

Okonkwo Francis Okechukwu (L) and Ifedigbo Chinedu Lucky (R)

After evading arrest in Brazil and Morocco, two Nigerians have been arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos for suspected drug trafficking.

The NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba, gave the names of the suspects as Okonkwo Francis Okechukwu, 44, and Ifedigbo Chinedu Lucky, 37.

They tested positive for cocaine during the inward screening of passengers on a Royal Air Maroc flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, through Casablanca, Morocco.

According to Garba, “Preliminary investigation revealed that both suspects planned and executed the unlawful act together. They inserted seven wraps of cocaine each into their bodies weighing 350 grammes.”

Wraps of Cocaine on Okechukwu

“I was stranded in Brazil, where I worked as a waiter in a restaurant for two years.

Life was awful as I was struggling daily just to feed myself. When I was contacted to smuggle cocaine to Nigeria, I was very happy because it was an opportunity to return home.

My sponsor also promised to pay me half a million Naira with which I had planned to start a business,” Okechukwu, who hails from Enugu state said after his arrest.

Lucky, an indigene of Anambra state, who had spent two years in Brazil said his arrest was due to ill-luck.

“I am a businessman. I import female shoes from Brazil since 2014. This arrest is just bad luck for me because I was already calculating my profit from the deal,” he said.

“NDLEA is committed to the fight against narcotic production and trafficking,

Brazil is a source country for cocaine and I am glad with the high level of vigilance on the route resulting in several arrests and seizures.

It is however sad that the suspects could insert narcotics into their alimentary canals in utter disregard of the health consequences. The suspects will be arraigned soon,” NDLEA Chairman, Colonel Muhammad Abdallah (Rtd) said.

Credit: Ben Ezeamalu/PREMIUM TIMES