The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Friday, arrested four drug couriers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while attempting to take the drugs to China, Indonesia and Qatar.

According to a statement by the spokesman of the agency, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, the suspects are Aniebue Peter Nnamma, 50; Sokpe Zubbye, alias Nzube Chukwudi), 37; Ugwuezumba Hyacinth Arinze, 38; and Obinna James Obi, 30.

Ofoyeju said one of the suspects, Nnamma, a trader at Aswani Market in Lagos, inserted 11 wraps of cocaine weighing 460 grammes into his anus, while Zubbye, a freight forwarder from Anambra State with a Ghanaian passport, ingested 955 grammes of cocaine.

Arinze, was caught with ingested wraps  of methamphetamine, weighing 570 grammes and 1.560kg of the drug packed in his luggage while on his way to Indonesia.

The fourth suspect was caught with 5.2kg of cannabis.

Mr. Ofoyeju stated that all four suspects are under investigation and will be charged to court soon.

In his confessional statement, Zubbye who blamed the economic hardship in the country said he was promised N1 million by sponsors to smuggle the drug abroad.

“I work in China as a freight forwarder and I am married with two children. Due to the recession, I am having difficulty in settling my bills and I was lured into drug trafficking while seeking assistance. They promised me N1 million. Since I live in China, I felt it would be easy for me to go through security checks,  but unfortunately, I was caught,” he said.

Nnamma also blamed his involvement in the crime on financial hardship.

“It was financial hardship that made me smuggle the drug. I was afraid of swallowing the drug, so I inserted eleven wraps of cocaine weighing 460 grammes into my anus. I sell clothes at Aswani Market, but poor patronage and family problems have turned me into a pauper. I regret everything,” he lamented.