NDLEA arrests 52-Yr-old evangelist with N1.4bn worth of drugs

According to a statement by NDLEA's Head of Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, the evangelist was revealed as a South African based Nigerian whose name was given as John Vincent Arinze.

On interrogation after his arrest in a Lagos hotel by the men of the NDLEA, Arinze, who hails from Ara village, Nise in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, accepted ownership of the illicit shipment.

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The statement further revealed that the drugs were concealed in foodstuff and cosmetics such as Garri packs, noodles packs, Knorr and Maggi food seasoning packs, yam powder, Malt drinks, pepper, Milk, Herbal Hair Cream and Golden Morn cereals. Other items in the container are Damatol Hair Cream, bags of Melon, Kegs of palm oil, Beans, Biscuits, Sardine and Cartons of Orijin bitters.

"During examination of the containers marked MSKU 388274-1 and MSKU 424717-0; anti-narcotic officials detected 20kg of Methamphetamine and 50kg of Ephedrine inside the first container and 72Kg of Methamphetamine and 23Kg of Ephedrine in the second container. The total weight of the drugs is 165kgs," Ofoyeju revealed.

"I am an evangelist living in Durban South Africa. My late wife was into drug trafficking before she died a few years ago. I made a mistake venturing into her business. It is all my fault," he stated.

Following the seizure and arrest, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd.) said that the seizure has significant influence on the campaign against narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

In his words, "This is a product of careful planning and meticulous tracking of narcotic drugs movement. The consignments were closely monitored by our undercover agents and intercepted at Apapa Seaport, Lagos following the detection of narcotics by NDLEA sniffer dogs during screening operation. This will definitely have a positive influence on Nigeria's drug control efforts."

Continuing, Abdallah said, "I am very happy with the success recorded in this operation. The Agency will remain painstaking and professional in the fight against illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse. We hope to unmask the drug syndicate behind this shipment and make more arrests soon."

The statement further revealed that Arinze will soon be charged to court to face the full wrath of law.