A 51-year-old mother of four children has been nabbed by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, in Lagos State with 3.44kg of cocaine and heroin hidden inside body cream.
The drugs were found in her possession during the outward screening of passengers on an Emirate flight bound for China.
The NDLEA Airport commander, Hamza Umar, who confirmed the arrest, gave the name of the suspect as Alade Muyinotu Alade from Kwara State.
According to Hamza, “Alade Muyinotu was caught with drugs at the central screening area on her way to China. During a search, 150 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.725kg and 150 wraps of heroin weighing 1.715kg concealed inside body cream were found inside her luggage. The total weight of the drugs was 3.44kg. The case is currently under investigation”.
In her confessional statement, the suspect said she was offered 4,000 dollars to smuggle the drugs to China saying: “I used to import clothes from Dubai and China when my business was going on smoothly. I even had a shop at Balogun market. My problem started when I lost my shop and was unable to rent another one. Since then things have gone from bad to worse. My major concern was that I have four children living with me and I am separated from my husband. It was a friend that introduced me to the people that gave me the drugs. They bought my return ticket and offered me 4,000 dollars”.
NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade described the involvement of the suspect in drugs smuggling as unfortunate.
His words: “China is one of the countries with capital punishment for drug trafficking. It is unfortunate for a mother of four children to get involved in such a criminal act. If not for our vigilance that led to her arrest, she would have been killed abroad and her children left to suffer endlessly”.
Alhaji Giade, while urging stakeholders to be more dedicated to the country’s drug control efforts, stressed that a drug-free society is a crime-free society.
The suspect will soon be charged to court.
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