Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja have prevented a Lagos based business man, Asogwa Solomon Ochiabuto, 39 years old from smuggling 7.45kg of cocaine hidden in flasks and kitchen utensils into the country. The discovery was made during the inward screening of passengers on-board an Ethiopian Airline flight from Brazil.
The drug which was industrially concealed inside food flasks and kitchen utensils tested positive for cocaine and weighed 7.45kg. It is estimated to cost eighty-two million naira (N82m). It is the single largest seizure recorded at the Abuja airport since January.
NDLEA Abuja Airport Commander, Mr. Hamisu Lawan said that the arrest was made following intensive screening by narcotic officers. “The suspect, Asogwa Solomon Ochiabuto was on-board an Ethiopian Airline flight from Brazil enroute Lome, Addis Ababa to Abuja. The cocaine though carefully hidden in the flasks was detected during search operation. We have commenced investigation into the case and he will soon be charged to court” Hamisu stated.
The suspect, Asogwa who resides in Okota area of Lagos hails from Umabor town in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. According to his statement, “I am a Secondary School Certificate holder. I could not further my education due to lack of sponsorship. I sell jewelries in Lagos to earn a living. I was married but now divorced. My intention was to invest the money from the drug trade in my business because I have suffered several losses that made me heavily indebted”.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade expressed satisfaction with the arrest and drug seizure and attributed it to the Operation End of Year Screening launched by the Agency. “The Agency is prepared to counter the tricks of drug traffickers. As the year is coming to an end, we have launched Operation End of Year Screening. This is targeted at preventing drug cartels from carrying out their criminal acts this season. Drug barons daily devise new drug trafficking tricks and we must remain extra vigilant to stop them” Giade stated.
