The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a thirty-nine (39) year-old motorcycle parts dealer at Nnewi, Ogbodo Chibuzor David for attempting to smuggle 11.06kg of dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis to China. The suspect who concealed the drugs in various food items was arrested following the discovery of cannabis inside his bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.
NDLEA commander at the airport, Mr. Hamza Umar said that the suspect was to board a Qatar Airline flight when he was nabbed. In his words, “we have apprehended one Ogbodo Chibuzor David with dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis. The suspect who deals in motorcycle parts at Nnewi was found with twenty-one parcels of cannabis hidden inside his bags on his way to China. His travel route as contained in his ticket is Lagos to Doha and from Doha to Guangzhou”.
The suspect told investigators that he wanted to sell the drugs and use the profit to buy motorcycle parts in China. “I gave a business partner the sum of 30,000 dollars to supply me goods and he disappeared. That brought my business to its knees and I have been struggling to take care of my wife and child since a year ago. I met many people for financial assistance but nobody was willing to help until I was wrongly advised. A friend told me to smuggle cannabis to China” Ogbodo stated.
He added that he would have made a profit of 10,000 dollars. “I bought the cannabis for 200,000 naira. My friend told me that I would have made a profit of 10,000 dollars selling the cannabis in China. I was only interested in getting money for my motorcycle parts business” the suspect stated. Ogbodo Chibuzor David hails from Enugu State.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade expressed delight with the arrest noting that the suspect would have faced capital punishment if caught with drugs in China. “Drug trafficking is criminal and many traffickers have died prematurely. I am glad that we prevented the suspect from facing capital punishment in China” Giade stated.
While calling on members of the public to avoid drug trafficking, the NDLEA boss assured that the Agency will continue to protect lives of citizens.
The suspect will soon be charged to court.
