Lady Arrested For Padding 234 Grams Of Drug Inside Her Private Part

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

A Chadian lady, Vivien Tarmadji, has been arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, while trying to board an Ethiopian Airline flight 911 enroute Addis Ababa-Italy with 234.35 grams of heroin concealed in her private part.

P.M.EXPRESS reports as disclosed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters.

The trafficker, Tarmadji, who runs a salon business in Italy since 2016 upon her relocation to the country via Libya, was nabbed by vigilant narcotics agents during an outward clearance of the airline at the boarding gate after being scanned.

Upon interrogation, she claimed she was contacted by a man who called her from Italy to collect the drug from one man, who then delivered the illicit substance to her in a hotel she lodged in Lagos early in the morning before she took her flight to Abuja same day for onward journey to Italy.

She further claimed that the man brought 50 wraps of heroin for her to swallow but she could not, and as such she decided to insert 18 wraps into her private part and returned the remaining to the man that brought the drug to her at the hotel.

According to her, she came into Nigeria to raise money to pay for her house and shop rents, which had expired in Italy, as life had been so difficult since the coming of COVID-19 pandemic. She said the owner of the drug was to pay her 10,000 Euros on successful delivery of the drug to Italy.

In the same vein, another trafficker, Okojie James, from Oredo Local Government area of Edo State, has also been arrested while boarding Turkish Airline flight enroute Abuja-Istanbul-Cyprus. A number of illicit drugs including 1. 549kg of Cannabis Sativa; 223.80grams of Tramadol; 192.34grams of Rophynol; 214.05 grams of Flunitrazepam, all of which were concealed in tins of Bournvita beverage and milk, packed in a bag of foodstuff were recovered from him.

During interrogation, he claimed that his friend, Mr. Elvis, who resides in Cyprus, asked him to collect the luggage for him. According to him, Elvis’ sister sent the luggage to him in Abuja from Benin through a transport company, Big Joe Motors. He said he was into shawarma and indomie noodles business in Benin before Elvis invited him to Cyprus claiming that he got him admission to school there.

The Commander, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja Command of the NDLEA, Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, said while Okojie James was arrested last Saturday, Vivien was nabbed on Tuesday 23rd March, 2021. He added that both suspects would soon face prosecution.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos on Wednesday 24th March, 2021, seized an abandoned five cartons of green leaves suspected to be KHAT with a gross weight of 105.70 kilograms.

The Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has commended men and officers of the two Airport Commands and challenged them to continue with the offensive action to secure Nigeria from the damaging effects of the drug scourge.