The anti-drug agency said the suspect, Mr. Syed Ahmed-Bukhari, (pictured above) was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, shortly after arriving aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha.
A statement by the Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, said Ahmed-Bukhari was found with parcels of brownish powdery substances that tested positive to heroin. The agency believed the arrest had aborted the entry of a perilous Pakistani drug cartel into the country.
The statement quoted the Chief Executive Officer, NDLEA, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, as stressing that the agency would make drug trafficking unprofitable through regular seizures. “Drug trafficking is attractive to criminal cartels because of the huge profit but we are determined to make it unprofitable through regular seizures, arrest and prosecution,” Giade said
The NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, said the suspect was carrying a Pakistani international passport with number BT3347071. Umar said, “A 35-year-old Pakistani was apprehended following the discovery of 13 kilogrammes of high grade heroin in his hand luggage. A Nigerian clearing and forwarding agent by name Okereke Chukwudi, 42, who is suspected to be an accomplice has also been arrested and investigation had commenced.”
Ahmed-Bukhari, an electrical engineer, who hails from Karachi is believed to be working for a Pakistan-based drug cartel, according to the statement. He was found to have travelled from Karachi to Abu Dhabi aboard Pakistan Airline flight before taking Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Lagos.
Ofoyeju said the suspected accomplice, Chukwudi, who hails from Ekulobia, Anambra State, was cooperating with narcotic investigators.
NDLEA boss added that the arrest of the Pakistani few days after three Bolivians were caught in a suspected case of methamphetamine production was a demonstration of the agency’s resolve to bring drug traffickers to justice. Giade said, “The anti-drug crusade is total and must be pursued with determination. While working hard to prevent the involvement of our citizens in drug trafficking, the agency will resist attempt by foreigners to smuggle drugs into the country.
“The NDLEA Act applies to all culprits. We shall yet be more vigilant and ensure that illicit drugs are intercepted in our country.” NDLEA said both suspects would be charged to court soon.
Culled from Punch
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