DRUG SUSPECT HIDES CANNABIS IN BITTER LEAF

Obianwo Josiah Okwuchukwu

A suspected drug trafficker has hidden 2kg of dried weeds suspected to be cannabis inside a consignment of dried bitter leaf. Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) made the discovery during search operation at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos. Two persons were apprehended with 3.700kg of narcotics. A substance that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 1.700kg hidden in a false bottom of luggage was also detected during the outward clearance of Arik air passengers to Monrovia.Both suspects who are from Anambra State have claimed ownership of the drugs. They also stated in their confessional statements that they were enticed by the monetary reward offered by their sponsors. In the words of 53 year old Obianwo Josiah Okwuchukwu, “I have lived in Monrovia for the past five years. I work in a cinema in order to sustain myself and family. My problem began when I lost all my savings to the war in Sierra Leone. I have been living from hand to mouth. My situation was so bad that I agreed to smuggle the drugs for 2,000 dollars”. Obianwo has a wife and four children living in Lagos.The other suspect, Ifeanyi Okafor said that he lost 87,000 dollars to fraudsters. “I am an importer of baby clothes. My business was going on fine until I lost 87,000 dollars to fraudsters. In fact, I am yet to recover from that tragic incident that reduced me into a beggar. I was smuggling the 2kg of cannabis for a fee of 1,400 dollars. It was carefully packaged but unfortunately the officers detected it” Ifeanyi stated.Reacting to the latest arrests, NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade said that stiffer penalty is one of the effective strategies of drug control. In his words, “no doubt, stiffer penalties remain one of the effective ways of addressing the problem of drug trafficking in the country. If a 53 year old man knows that if caught with drugs, he will spend the next 15 years in jail, there will be some restraint”.The suspects will soon be charged to court.According to the NDLEA Airport commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, both suspects were caught during routine check. “A 53 year old Obianwo Josiah Okwuchukwu concealed 1.700kg of methamphetamine in his luggage on his way to Monrovia, Liberia while Ifeanyi Okafor, 38, concealed 2kg of dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis sativa in a bag containing dried bitter leaf vegetable meant for export to Doha, Qatar.