A lady, who was unwittingly recruited into drug trafficking by a fiancé she met on Facebook, residing in Malaysia, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The suspect, Gloria Ezeabata, was arrested during screening of passengers on an Ethiopian airline flight on her way to Malaysia at the departure hall.
Ezeabata, who works with an accounting firm in Lagos, admitted having a Facebook relationship that got her involved in drug trafficking. She said: “I met a man on Facebook some months ago who lives in Malaysia. He told me while chatting online that he is from my state, Anambra in South-East, Nigeria. After some months, he proposed marriage and I told him to come to Nigeria to meet my parents as our custom demands. He promised to fulfil every marriage rite. “Months later, he invited me to Malaysia, promising to pay all the travel expenses. After several appeals, I decided to visit him.
The day I was to travel, he told me to take along a bag of foodstuff sent by his mother from the village. I was given the bag at the airport but in the process of checking it in, drug was discovered inside packs of noodles in the bag and I was arrested.”
Substances that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 1.325kg were detected in her luggage.
The drug was concealed in 26 packs of noodles in a bag of foodstuff containing plantain, pepper, melon and other spices.
Further investigation led to the arrest of one Mr. Philip Akpaka, 39, who allegedly coordinated the travel arrangement for Gloria and gave her the bag containing the drugs. NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba said that Gloria was arrested following the discovery of methamphetamine in her luggage.
Akpaka also admitted preparing the travel documents of Gloria on the request of his friend based in Malaysia. He said: “I’m a transporter. My friend in Malaysia asked me to prepare travel documents for Gloria. He also asked me to give a bag to Gloria to take to Malaysia.” Both suspects will soon be charged to court for conspiracy, unlawful possession and exportation of narcotic drugs.
Source: New Telegraph
