Pascal Arogorn Ibe
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two suspected drug peddlers, including a 23-year-old Brazilian who disguised cocaine as chocolate.
The spokesman of the agency, Jonah Schema, said on Wednesday in Abuja that the NDLEA, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Special Area Command, Abuja, uncovered two new methods drug traffickers were adopting to evade the prying eyes of law enforcement personnel.
He said that the new methods were uncovered on Monday in two separate operations at the Airport, leading to the seizure of 14.4 kg of Cocaine.
According to him, in the first operation, the command intercepted a consignment of four packets of chocolate sweets of white substances which tested positive to Cocaine, weighing 7.2 kg while in the second operation it uncovered 12 parcels of cellophane wrappers with whitish substances which also tested positive to Cocaine weighing another 7.2 kg.
“The first operation involved Da Silva Mailson Mario, a Brazilian aged 23 who was arrested with a suit case containing the packets of the chocolate sweet during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline ET 911 which originated from Brazil en-route Addis Ababa to Abuja.
“The second operation involved Elechi Adendu Kingsley, a Nigerian aged 39 who was arrested with a bag containing cellophane bags during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight Et 911,” Achema said.
He said that Mario, who spoke through an interpreter, decided to be silent on all questions put to him and was only inquisitive about the jail terms his alleged offence may attract in Nigeria.
On his part, Kingsley, an indigene of Umulolo Local Government Area of Imo State, who has been living in Brazil for the past 13 years, said he would not blame anybody for his involvement.
Kingsley said: “I am an adult and I am fully aware of what I was going into.
“I agree that somebody gave it to me but I offered to carry it.”
Kingsley also said he was promised N3m upon safe delivery of the drugs to somebody in Nigeria and that he was in Nigeria preparatory to his wedding in January 2021.
Speaking on the discovery of these new modes of concealment, Commander NDLEA, Abuja Airport Command, Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, said there was no underestimating the imagination of drug merchants.
“What is expected of us is not only to counter their devices but to think ahead of them.
“As we can see, any step they take, we are many steps ahead, hence the results we are seeing.
“I wish to promise them more frustration,” Tsakuwa said.
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