NDLEA Discovers Heroin Letter with Lagos Electrician
LAGOS MARCH 28TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have discovered a letter laden with heroin in Lagos. The letter which was sent from Bengaluru, India, on Express Mail Service (EMS) was addressed to Mr Yunusa Amusan a 33 years old electrician living in Mushin, Lagos.
A statement signed by Ofoyeju Mitchell, Head, Public Affairs of NDLEA made available to Urhobotoday an online medium, disclosed that about four hundred and eighty (480) grammes of powdery substance that tested positive for heroin was found inside the letter.
According to the statement, the thin parcels of heroin were carefully hidden in the letter in a manner that makes it difficult to detect, adding that this is the first case of heroin letter discovered by the anti-narcotic agency this year.
On interrogation, Yunusa confessed to have been running errands for his uncle who lives in India. “I run errands for my uncle who lives in India. He used to send money and letters to me to give to his wives and friends. Sometimes he will ask me to buy foodstuff and sent to him in India and in return, he gives me money to take care and sustain myself.
“I am single and a native of Ogun State. After my Junior Secondary School Certificate, I could not further my education due to lack of sponsorship. I later learnt how to repair television sets but could not rent a shop to start my own business. The letter my uncle sent to me was opened in my presence and other officers and it was found to contain heroin” he confirmed.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah rtd attributed his arrest to the diversification of the Agency’s operations.
“The operations of the Agency have been diversified to cover mail services. Drug control is an intelligence-led operation and the NDLEA under my dispensation will spread its tentacles to all possible areas of narcotic smuggling. We will not relent in taking deliberate and sustained efforts towards preventing drug trafficking under any guise in the country be it by air, land and water” Abdallah stated.
The NDLEA boss added that investigation report revealed that the suspect who is in custody allegedly connived with his uncle who lives in India to import heroin disguised as letters to Nigeria. Their criminal plan did not materialise due to superior intelligence gathering capacity of the Agency. He assured Nigerians that the Agency will always work towards a drug-free society.
The anti-drug agency mainatained that it is prepared to prosecute the suspect and any other person linked to the case.