Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency [NDLEA] say they have detained a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye Agbazue, after she was caught attempting to export 20 parcels of cannabis sativa [Indian hemp] weighing 10.70kg concealed in African salad popularly called abacha and dried vegetables to Doha, Qatar, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Iya Magazine reports that Qatar imposes severe penalties for possession, use, and trafficking in illegal drugs. Offenders can face long-term imprisonment and pay heavy fines, followed by deportation. Fines could range up to 200,000 Qatari Rials [$54,929.98], however, drug trafficking also carries a possible death sentence.
This was made known by Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in an electronic Press statement on Sunday [today].
NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport working in partnership with men of the Department of State Security had, on Thursday 28th March, intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the screening point of terminal 11 of the MMIA.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but returned to Nigeria last December for Christmas celebration.
She said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in Ikotun area of Lagos where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country.
In another development, two suspects — Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka — were on Tuesday 26th March arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Agege area of Lagos, where they recovered from them 842,560 pills of opioids, especially tramadol, in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly.
Attempt by Okeke to bribe the NDLEA officers with N5 million cash was rebuffed, while the money was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects in court.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Bayelsa, Ondo, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for their balanced efforts in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) also applauded their counterparts across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.
