Mother of 7 arrested for drug trafficking

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), operatives attached to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos have arrested 52 years old woman, for alleged trafficking 1.166 kilogrammes of heroin.

The suspect, Alhaja Abduquadri Olufunke, was nabbed after the scanning machine revealed that she was positive for drug ingestion. She was detected during the screening of passengers on Delta Airline to Atlanta, United States.
She allegedly ingested 61 wraps of brownish powdery substance which tested positive for heroin, weighing 958 grammes. She also inserted a big parcel of same substance weighing 208 grammes in her private part.

Reacting to the arrest, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, urged the public to avoid the temptation of get-rich-quick syndrome, adding that good name is better than ill-gotten wealth. ‘‘It must take character deficiency for a mother of her age to condescend into such level of depravity. People should learn to build and protect their good names which is much better than illegitimate wealth,” Giade said.
The mother of seven, whose final destination was Chicago, claimed she sells textile materials, but was forced into drugs trafficking by circumstances. The suspect claimed to have been given the drug at Seme border, by a lady, who promised to help her out of her financial predicament, unknown to her that she was an agent of drug barons.

Her words: “I was involved in drug trafficking because of my children. My expectation was to rent a shop for my business and pay my children’s school fees. It is a painful experience for me, particularly, the ingestion of the drugs and the parcel prepared for me to insert in my private part. I would have changed my mind at that point. I used water to swallow the drug but, it just could not go down my throat, so they gave me soft drink.”

“It was a bitter experience. Though, I was given 1,200 dollars, part payment, with a promise that when I got to Chicago, I would be handsomely rewarded. Still, I was uncomfortable. I was brainwashed by a woman like me, though, it was not entirely her fault, I feel very bad. I do not know how to face my children,” she lamented. Alhaja Adelade, who hails from Isan-Ekiti, Ekiti State, was born and brought up in Lagos.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA Airport Commander, Alhaji Hamza Umar, has warned drug traffickers not to hide under any guise to smuggle drugs, as the agency will stop them. ‘‘We do not look at a passenger’s age or status. Our job is simply to arrest them as they come and that is our contribution towards a crime-free society,’’ Hamza stated.

According to the NDLEA spokesman, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, the suspect would be charged to court soon.

 


 


 

Posted: at 24-03-2010 10:42 AM (14 years ago) | Upcoming