Lady arrested with heroin in hair

Three black parcels stylishly fixed on Metu’s hair were neatly removed by the operatives at the airport yesterday after she was thoroughly searched and no drugs were found on her or in her handbag even when the NDLEA scanners indicate that she was carrying drugs. Female narcotic operators took time to search Metu before they discovered the drugs neatly packed in a hair style popularly known as ‘touch me not, boy.’

Metu who was nabbed during the screening of passengers on Ethiopian Airline to Guangzhou China, told Weekly Trust that she is a single mother and a 2006 graduate of Economics from the Lagos State University. She said she needed money for treatment. “I know that my friends and relations will be disappointed but I needed money for my medical treatment abroad. I am an international trader but I am suffering from cancer. I spend so much that I cannot save,” she lamented.    

The NDLEA Commander at the Airport, Alhaji Hamza Umar who confirmed Metu’s arrest to Weekly Trust, gave the names of the three other male suspects arrested by his men with cocaine as Ezeamama Ifeanyichukwu Celestine, 38, who ingested 91 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.470 kilogrammes, Obasi Ugochukwu Stanley, 24 who ingested 76 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.140 kilogrammes and Ozonwanchukwu Pascal Chinedu, 37 who swallowed 63 wraps of cocaine weighing 830 grams. He said both suspects are cooperating with his men in their investigation.

The suspects individually blamed economic hardship for their involvement in drugs trafficking. Ugochukwu, an undergraduate student studying in Italy, said he was caught during screening of passengers on Air France to Italy. He said he needed money to complete his education having lost his job some months ago. He claimed to be a 300 level student of Agric Engineering at the Padova University, Italy. “I requested for financial assistance and I was told to smuggle drugs and be paid 5,000 Euros. This is my first time and I agreed to smuggle drugs to sponsor my educational career,” Obasi stated.   

Ifeanyichukwu said he was arrested while attemptimg to board an Iberia flight to Madrid, Spain where he had lived for over seven years. He too claimed that hardship drove him into drug trafficking.  “I live in Madrid since 2003 and I work to sustain myself but when I lost my job in September 2009 things became very hard for me. I swallowed 91 wraps and was to be paid 2,500 Euros,” the suspect stated.

Chairman of the NDLEA, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade said the discovery is further proof that drug traffickers are running out of methods of drug concealment. He warned that no drug trafficker and their sponsors would go unpunished this year. “This is not the first time drug traffickers will conceal drugs in their hair.’’