NDLEA parades suspected drug traffickers
By Odita Sunday and Charity Ibanga
THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded another breakthrough in its anti-hard drugs war as 11 suspects, including a 19-year-old girl, were yesterday paraded in Lagos.
The NDLEA Commander of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Unit, Alhaji Abdullahi Damburam, while parading the suspects yesterday, noted that the case of one of the suspects was critical because he almost died as a result of complications he developed while on observation.
According to Damburum, "The suspect was arrested on arrival from Karachi, Pakistan, where he developed complications while on observation because he could not excrete all the hard drugs ingested into his body".
He added: "In the course of investigation, he informed us that the man that gave him the drugs made him swallow 25 capsules of Flagyl and some capsules of Terracycline".
Damburam said the suspect was then taken to a government hospital in Lagos where he was operated upon before the 71 wraps of heroin remaining in his body could be evacuated.
He gave thanks to the NDLEA Chairman, Alhaji Bello Lafiaji, who paid the suspect's N120,000 medical bill to save him.
He swallowed and concealed 1.135 kilogrammes (kg) of heroin into his body while a 19-year-old girl was also arrested with 1.035kg of cocaine ingested into her body.
For another 29-year-old suspect with 580 grammes of heroine ingested into his body, he said it was not a big deal as he declined comments with reporters, adding: "It is my life and I have no regrets".
Another male suspect was arrested with 595 grammes of cocaine ingested while a 41-year-old woman was caught with 1.385kg of heroine ingested into their bodies.
Also, two suspects were arrested with 1.165kg of cocaine, 970 grammes of heroine and 755 grammes of heroin respectively.
He added: "One of the suspects arrived from Sao-Paulo, Brazil, with 10kg of cocaine concealed in packet-shirts inside two luggage, with claiming tag Nos. RG 453997 and RG 453998".
Damburam noted that their major setback has remained lack of co-operation from arrested traffickers who have refused to divulge reliable information on their partners in crime.
