Textile merchant arrested with N57m cocaine

Paul Emujue

A 32-year-old textile merchant, Paul Emujue, has been arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for importing 5.745kg of cocaine worth N57m.

Emujue was said to have hidden the cocaine inside laptop bags. He was said to be on his way from Sao Paulo, Brazil, when he was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

A statement by NDLEA Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, said NDLEA Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, confirmed the arrest.

Umar said, “The drug was detected during the inward screening of passengers on Etihad flight. The cocaine was ingeniously packed in laptop bags such that we had to cut the bags open to detect the drug. The suspect could have escaped arrest, had the drug not been detected.”

Ofoyeju, however, said investigation had commenced into the case and Emujue, who hailed from Anambra State, would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigation.

NDLEA spokesperson said the suspect was single and dropped out of school in Junior Secondary School in 1988.

The secondary school dropout said, “I ventured into drug trafficking because of frustration.  For the past 10 years, 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. I was assured that I could make enough money from drug trafficking to invest in my business. I decided to give it a trial and I was arrested in the process.”

NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, said, “The agency will continue to arrest drug traffickers and charge them to court. This arrest is commendable. Members of the public must note that it is wrong to raise capital from drug trafficking because anyone that ventures into the criminal act will be prosecuted. I urge stakeholders to partner with the NDLEA in fighting drug trafficking.”