The cocaine capsules excreted by Onu

By Ibironke Ariyo

Attempt by Oluchukwu Onu, a Lagos based trader to smuggle 86 capsules of cocaine he had ingested out of the country failed at the last minute as he was intercepted boarding during screening at the boarding gate of Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

Onu, 39, was arrested during the outward clearance of India bound Ethiopian airline en route Abuja-Addis Ababa-New Delhi, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.

He excreted the cocaine capsules after his arrest, the agency said in a statement issued by its Head of Public Affairs,  Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Mr Jonah Achema, confirmed the report.

‘”Onu was intercepted at the boarding gate screening and referred for scanning where he proved positive for ingestion.

“He excreted 86 wraps of substances which tested positive of cocaine and weighed 1.527 kilogrammes.

“Onu, a Lagos based  building materials dealer, said he was promised N1.5 million if he successful delivered the drugs to the recipient in New Delhi,  India, ” he said.

The statement quoted the suspect as sayings that  he decided to undertake the journey so that he could use the money to support his business.

The Commander, NDLEA, Airport Command, Mr Kabir Tsakuwa, said that investigation would be conducted to dismantle Onu’s drug trafficking network.

“This arrest is spectacular in that it is about the highest number of wraps to be swallowed or ingested by an individual.

“We have also discovered that this is the first case of anyone moving cocaine from here to India.

“We will explore and exploit all angles in ensuring that this particular drug chain is disrupted and dismantled, ” he said.