When 44-year-old father of one, Chibude Chide, sold his piece of land for N2 million and invested the money in drugs, he must have dreamt of a very rewarding return.
But his bubble was burst when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), caught him with a 1.185kg worth of cocaine he had swallowed preparatory to trafficking, while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to China.
Now, the Enugu State born trader who said he used to deal in clothes until his business collapsed in 2008, is full of regret as well as losing his investments to the botched cocaine deal.
He said:
“I used to sell clothes and my business was flourishing in 2007. My problem started in 2008. I lost my three big shops. I see it as a spiritual attack because I lost everything I had laboured to acquire over the years.
So I sold the only property I have in Enugu with the hope of relocating to Lagos. Unfortunately, I listened to wrong advice and invested my last savings in cocaine business.
They assured me that I could earn twice the amount I invested in the deal. But I’m regretting my action.”
The barons probably did not tell Chide that drug trafficking is a capital offence in China, which carries the death sentence.
“I never thought of it. My entire attention was on the N4 million profit I would have made from my trip. I’m worried now about my wife and daughter.”