NDLEA arrests suspected drug trafficker with heroin worth N564 million in Abuja

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 40-year-old suspected drug trafficker, Goodluck Odeh, with two kilogrammes of heroin worth N564 million in Abuja.

The NDLEA Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said the agency operatives at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, discovered that the heroin was concealed in the lining of a false bottom on the suspect’s suitcase.

According to him, Odeh was arrested at the departure lounge of the Abuja airport during an outward clearance of Ethiopian aircraft 911 en route Addis Ababa to Italy.

Babafemi said: “Under interrogation, Odeh claimed he has been living in Italy since 2015 when he got into the country through Libya.

“The suspect said he works as a labourer on a farm in Italy with a pay of about 50 Euro a day. He also works as a flyer distributor when the farming season is over and makes as much as 50 Euro/day.

“Odeh told the NDLEA operatives that he came to Nigeria over two weeks ago to see his family in Nigeria and also use same opportunity to buy foodstuffs to sell on his return to Italy.

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“After spending some days between Edo and Delta, where he bought some foodstuffs, he equally travelled to Lagos to buy part of the foodstuffs and bush meat which is cheaper.

“Odeh claimed during his interrogation by the agency operatives that he did not know how the drug found its way into the bag as he bought the suitcase from a second-hand material open market in Lagos, not knowing that it contained the drug.”

The NDLEA Commander, Abuja Airport Command, Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, said a case had already been filed against the suspect while investigations were ongoing to explore other leads on the case.

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