A 25- year old single lady, a Brazil based freelance journalist and a patent medicine dealer are among six suspected drug traffickers currently being interrogated by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for drug trafficking.
The six suspects were apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, with substances that tested positive for narcotics.
The NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba , gave the names of the suspects as – Gabriel Chidimma Juliet (25), caught with 2.900kg of cocaine in duty free bag, Anagbogu Churchill Okwudili ( 48), who ingested 47 wraps of cocaine weighing 940 grammes and Enenchi Jerome Oguejiefor (36) who concealed 5.500kg of cannabis inside fufu.
Others are – Ani Kennedy Tochukwu (32), who packed 21 wraps of cocaine weighing 350 grammes inside jeans trousers, Eletamuzor Celestine Kenechukwu (28,) caught with a kilogramme of ephedrine inside hair attachment and Okpala Vitus Arinzechukwu (35) caught with 2.720kg of cocaine.
Apart from Eletamuzor Celestine Kenechukwu and Enenchi Jerome Oguejiefor that attempted to export ephedrine and cannabis to South Africa and United Arab Emirates respectively, others were apprehended for smuggling drugs into the country.
The suspects attributed their involvement in drug business to the financial rewards offered them and the agency has commenced investigation into the cases.
The only female suspect, Juliet, who resides in Abuja, told narcotic investigators that she was given the drug by her boyfriend in the UAE.
“Since I left secondary school in 2010, I have been trading to sustain myself. I buy goods in Dubai and sell in Abuja. It is unfortunate this time around that cocaine was found in the bag. My boyfriend gave it to me in Dubai,” Juliet, who hails from Imo State, stated.
Churchill, who is a freelance journalist, said he was frustrated into dealing in drugs.
“I graduated from the London School of Journalism in 2005 and I am a freelance journalist. I have been in Brazil for about two years and my standard of living is very poor.
“My condition was such that I could not afford return ticket to visit my wife and children in Nigeria for about two years. It was frustration from my inability to discharge my responsibility as a father and a husband that led me into drug trafficking,” he said.
Churchill hails from Anambra State.
