Drug traffickers rounded up at Abuja Airport

Udoka Egbuchelam, 26, and four other suspected drug traffickers were recently arrested by men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with 7.1kg of narcotics.

The arrests were made at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, when the suspects attempted to smuggle 1.1kg of methamphetamine and 6kg of cocaine.

NDLEA Commander at the Abuja Airport, Mr. Hamisu Lawan, gave the names of the remaining suspects as Ezechi Nwabueze (45), Joel Uzoukwu (54), Okechukwu Obiora (36) and Everest Eze (32).

Lawan said, “Egbuchelam and Nwabueze, who ingested 1.1kg of methamphetamine and 95 wraps of cocaine respectively, were to board an Ethiopian Airline flight. While the former was bound for Malaysia, the latter was heading for Istanbul.

“Uzoukwu, who ingested 85 wraps of cocaine, Obiora, who ingested 91 wraps of cocaine, and Eze, who swallowed 54 wraps of cocaine, were all caught during the inward screening of flights.”

Nwabueze, who made a living selling shirts in Benin Republic, planned to deliver the drugs in Istanbul.  “I am the only child of my parents. My problem began when my shop got burnt and there was nobody to help me. I was to deliver the drugs in Istanbul, Turkey,” he said.

Uzoukwu, Eze and Obiora, on the other hand, were caught in an attempt to smuggle in drugs from Brazil.

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, in confirming the incident, told CRIME DIGEST that Egbguchelam would have been killed if she been found in possession of the narcotics in Malaysia. “Drug trafficking is a capital offence in Malayisa and the penalty for it is death and am happy that the NDLEA has been able to prevent this from happening through its vigilance,” Giade said.