The Spokesman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Jarikre Ofoyeju, has revealed to reporters that a 52-year old man, John Vincent Arinze, who claims to a South Africa based evangelist, is been quizzed by the agency over N1.4 billion worth of narcotics found in his food stuffs at Apapa port yesterday in Lagos.
It was gathered that 92kgs of methamphetamine and 73kgs of ephedrine were detected inside two containers of foodstuff meant for export to South Africa by the agency’s sniffer drugs, as the man was later arrested in a hotel room in Lagos after the illegal goods were traced to him.
The NDLEA spokesman stated that the drugs were hidden inside packs of melon concealed in foodstuff and cosmetics such as Gari (cassava flakes), noodles, Knorr and Maggi food seasoning, yam powder, Malt drinks, pepper, milk, herbal hair cream and Golden Morn cereals. Other items in the container are Damatol hair Cream, bags of Melon, Kegs of palm oil, beans, biscuits, sardine and Cartons of orijin bitters.
“The arrest and seizure is a product on intense undercover operation by the NDLEA. The estimated street value of the drugs is 1.4 billion.
“During examination of the containers marked MSKU 388274-1 and MSKU 424717-0; anti-narcotic officials detected 20kg of Methamphetamine and 50kg of Ephedrine inside the first container and 72Kg of Methamphetamine and 23Kg of Ephedrine in the second container. The total weight of the drugs is 165kgs”, he explained.
Ofoyeju also quoted the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd.) as saying that the seizure has significant influence on the campaign against narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
“This is a product of careful planning and meticulous tracking of narcotic drugs movement. The consignments were closely monitored by our undercover agents and intercepted at Apapa Seaport, Lagos following the detection of narcotics by NDLEA sniffer dogs during screening operation. This will definitely have a positive influence on Nigeria’s drug control efforts”.
The NDLEA boss added that the Agency will remain meticulous in detecting drugs and prosecuting offenders. “I am very happy with the success recorded in this operation. The Agency will remain painstaking and professional in the fight against illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse. We hope to unmask the drug syndicate behind this shipment and make more arrests soon,” Abdallah promised.
In his statement, the suspect who hails from Ara village, Nise in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, and had lived in South Africa for over a decade, accepted ownership of the illicit shipment, and said that he made a big mistake by taking over the business of his late wife.
“I am an evangelist living in Durban South Africa. My late wife was into drug trafficking before she died few years ago. I made a mistake venturing into her business. It is all my fault,” he stated.
No comments :
Post a Comment