The National Drug Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested Gabriel Anthony, a 44-year-old father of three, for ingesting 96 pellets of cocaine, which he excreted while in the agency’s custody.
The Director of Media and Defense, Femi Babafemi, said this in a statement made available to the Nigerian News Agency on Sunday in Abuja.
Mr. Babafemi said that Mr. Anthony, who was arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Friday, November 26, was a native of Nike in the North Enugu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He said the suspect was arrested during a Turkish Airlines departure clearance at the airport‘s boarding control area on the Abuja-Istanbul-Madrid route.
According to him, the suspect had traveled to Germany in 1996 for two years with asylum, after which he moved to Spain in 1999.
“This is where he currently has a residence permit and works as a driver in a food manufacturing company.
“He claimed that he arrived in Nigeria on November 17 to sell clothes and auto parts that he sent to Lagos earlier.
“However, he said that he could not sell his shipments, which cost him 4,000 euros not including the cost of shipping because they were priced below the cost price in Ladipo’s market in Lagos.
“And he needed to travel back to Spain to resume work after his annual vacation expired,” he said.
Babafemi added that the suspect confessed to having accepted the offer to traffic the drug for which he would be paid 1,500 euros when he successfully delivers the shipment to someone in Spain.
According to Babafemi, the suspect claimed that he left Lagos for Enugu to see his relatives, and then traveled on 25 November to Onitsha in Anambra.
“This is where they picked him up from Upper Iweka Park at night and took him to a house where they gave him the 96 cocaine pellets.
“In this way they ingested before leaving for Abuja to board their flight to Madrid the next day,” he added.
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Is the 1500 not more than the 4000 he used to buy goods? His village people have not left him