NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade
By Chinedu Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), weekend, busted a 2.655kilogram of cocaine hidden in roasted chicken at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, arresting an auto technician in connection with the seizure.
The seizure of the hard drugs, with an estimated street value of about N24million, was made at the MMIA during the inward clearance of passengers on a Turkish Airline flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil .
NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr Hamza Umar, who gave the name of the suspect as Vincent Chegini Chinweuwa, described the seizure as remarkable, explaining that the suspect had given investigators useful information.
“We discovered 2.655kg of cocaine hidden inside roasted chicken. It is a remarkable seizure because no one would have imagined cocaine worth several millions inside roasted chicken,” Hamza stated.
During interrogation, the suspect said he thought that the drug will not be detected.
“It took me three days to pack the cocaine inside the roasted chicken. I was confident that the drug will not be detected. I have been living in Brazil since 2006. Life has been stressful because I cannot even visit my wife in Nigeria due to lack of money. I wanted some money to start any business of my choice back home. Unfortunately, I was disappointed upon arrival in Lagos,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade, has said that spectacular seizures such as the latest one will help to discourage others from the criminal drug trade.