Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the weekend arrested an auto technician in connection with 2.655kg of cocaine hidden inside roasted chicken. The seizure was made at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos during the inward clearance of passengers on a Turkish Airline flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The street value of the seized drug is about 24 million naira.
The NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr Hamza Umar who gave the name of the suspect as Vincent Chegini Chinweuwa described the seizure as remarkable. He explained 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. In his words, “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”.
Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade said that spectacular seizures like this will help to discourage others from the criminal drug trade.“The suspect thought his mode of drug concealment was perfect but we proved him wrong. Several drugs cleverly hidden by drug barons have been discovered and we shall continue to detect drugs regardless of the mode of concealment” Giade assured.
The suspect who hails from Imo State will soon be charged to court.
