NDLEA Seizes 301g Of Cocaine, 3,000 Euros In Aba

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has
arrested a university drop out with 301.6 grams of cocaine and 3,000 euros concealed
in spiritual candles for export.

The Commander, Mrs Florence Ezeonye, NDLEA in Abia State
told newsmen in Aba that the suspect was a former civil engineering student of
the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri.

She said that the suspect was arrested on October 5, in a
courier house while trying to dispatch the hard drug in five spiritual candles
to his former school mate living in Vietnam.

She said that the officers attached to the courier house
became suspicious when the suspect arrived the office late and wanted the
candles in a parcel couriered.

According to her, they took the candles in the parcel from
him and opened them only to find cocaine and money in travellers’ cheques of
500 euros each.

“This is peculiar because of the way the drug was concealed
in spiritual candles.

“In my 20 years experience in the job I have not seen such
concealment where all the candles being exported to Vietnam carry drugs and
foreign currency.

“When all of them were destroyed and opened we found a total
of 301.6 grams of cocaine and about 3,000 Euros concealed in what were called
spiritual candles,’’ Ezeonye said.

The commander urged the youths between 22 years and 30 years
to know the kind of friends they kept, adding that the suspect had confessed
that he never knew that something like that could be concealed in a candle, as
he thought he was just helping a school mate.

Ezeonye said that the case would soon be charged to court.

On other achievements, Ezeonye said that the command had
arrested 172 suspects, including 15 female and seized 732,044 kg of hard drugs
from January to October.

According to her,  the
NDLEA had worked hard with other agencies to stem drug menace at the notorious
and dreaded “York’’ spot in Aba.

“We in NDLEA are trying our best to see that there won’t be
any “York”, God willing, before the end of the year,’’ Ezeonye said, noting
that the command had arrested the chairman of York and that the case was
already in court.