Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Special Area Command, Abuja, have detained Elechi Kingsley (39) for attempting to smuggle cocaine from Brazil.
The suspect, who is planning to marry in January 2021, was promised N3 million for the job.
Kingsley was arrested during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight Et 911, according to NDLEA’s Principal Staff Officer (Public Affairs), Jonah Achema.
Achema said Kingsley, an indigene of Umulolo Local Government Area of Imo State, has lived in Brazil for 13 years.
“I am an adult and I am fully aware of what I was going into. I agree that somebody gave it to me but I offered to carry it,” Kingsley was quoted as saying.
A 23-year-old Brazilian, Da Silva Mailson Mario, was also arrested for being in possession of a suitcase containing cocaine during the inward clearance of same flight.
According to Achema, Mario, who spoke through an interpreter, decided to be silent on all questions put to him. He was only inquisitive about the jail terms his offence may attract in Nigeria.
Achema said 14.4 kilograms of cocaine were seized from both men.
The statement reads: “In the first operation, the command intercepted four packets of chocolate sweets of white substances which tested positive to Cocaine, weighing 7.2 kilograms, while 12 parcels of cellophane wrappers with whitish substances, which also tested positive to Cocaine, and weighing 7.2 kilograms, were recovered in the second operation.
“The first operation involved Da Silva Mailson Mario, a Brazilian (23), who was arrested with a suitcase containing packets of chocolate sweet during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline ET 911 which originated from Brazil en-route Addis Ababa to Abuja. The second operation involved Elechi Kingsley (39) who was arrested with a bag containing cellophane bags during the inward clearance of same flight.”
