A 32-year-old textile merchant, Emujue Chimaobi John Paul, who allegedly hid 5.745kg of cocaine inside laptop bags on his way from Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA).

The suspect was apprehended on arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos. This followed the prompt detection of the drug by officers of the anti-narcotic agency during the inward screening of Etihad flight passengers. The cocaine has an estimated street value of fifty-seven (N57 million).

NDLEA Commander, Hamza Umar,  described the mode of concealment as ingenious. According to Hamza, “if not for the painstaking efforts of officers the drug suspect would have escaped arrest. The cocaine was ingeniously packed in laptop bags such that we had to cut the bags open to detect the drug”.

Meanwhile, investigation had commenced into the case and the suspect who hails from Anambra State will soon be charged to court. He is single and dropped out of school in Junior Secondary School (JSSI) in 1988.

In his statement, Emujue Chimaobi John Paul said that it was frustration that made him to venture into drug smuggling. “I am a textile merchant. Since 2003, I have been dealing in textiles in Togo. In 2011, I relocated to Brazil in search of greener pastures. Unfortunately, my business did not flourish as I had expected. In fact, I was even living from hand to mouth. I was told that I could make enough money from drug trafficking to invest in my business. That was how I was convinced to give it a trial and I was arrested in the process” Emujue stated.