NDLEA arrest 5 man drug trafficking syndicate with 11.5kg of cocaine valued at N57m

A 5 man drug trafficking syndicate consisting of 28 year old Nonso
Akubueze, Simon Omoluonye, Obidike Onodyer, Friday Onyeabor and
Emma Ifoh, have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency for trafficking 11.5 kilogrammes of cocaine valued at
N57 million from Brazil into Nigeria. Punch reports that the men were
arrested at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
When interrogated, Akabueze who is a graduate of Economics and was
found with 1.1kg of cocaine hidden in his luggage, said he had left Nigeria
for Brazil with the hope of getting a good job in Brazil but his expectation
was dashed on getting there.
“I am a 2009 graduate of Economics but I have no job. I left
Nigeria in search of job opportunities. My condition of living in
Brazil was worse than when I was in Nigeria. It was my friend that
gave me the bag containing the drug.”he said
One of the arrested men, Simon Omeluonye said he was to be paid N1m
for trafficking the banned substance. According to him, he had planned to
use the money to further his education and start up a business. 40 year old
Obidike Onodyer when interrogated said he was paid N200,000 for the 11
wraps of cocaine he ingested.
"“Drug trafficking was my last option to free myself from the harsh
condition of living in Brazil. Unfortunately, I could only swallow 11
wraps so I was paid N200,000.he said
Reacting to their arrest, the NDLEA commander at the MMIA, Mr. Hamza
Umar, said the seized drug comprised white and crack cocaine concealed in
tins, among others.
“Different methods were adopted in concealing the drug.
One of the suspects, Omoluonye, was caught with both white and crack
cocaine in tins weighing 7.8kg. Akubueze had 1.1kg by the side of his
luggage while Onodyer ingested 11 wraps of cocaine weighing 0.5 grammes.
Onyeabor was found with 74 wraps weighing 1.3kg and Ifoh was caught
with 34 wraps weighing 0.7 grammes. Apart from Onyeabor, who hails
from Enugu State, the other 4 suspects are from Anambra State.”