A South African football Coach, Steven Darlugar, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos for drug trafficking.
38-year-old Darlugar, who coaches a football club in South Africa, was caught with 1.54 kilogrammes of drugs during the screening of Arik Air passengers on board to South Africa.
Reports reaching The Trent says the suspect neatly packaged the drugs, which tested positive for methamphetamine, in a compartment in his luggage.
Darlugar confessed to the crime saying he took to smuggling to augment his income, adding that he would have made a proceed of $6,000 if he had succeeded in carrying out the crime.
He said: “I am married with a child and have lived in South Africa for about a decade. I coach a team in South Africa. I have worked very hard to attain financial freedom, but have nothing in return. This is my first time of smuggling drugs. I was under financial pressure to cope with peers. A friend introduced me to drug trafficking as a way of making quick money. They promised to pay me $6,000 to take the bag containing the drugs to South Africa.”
NDLEA’s commander at the MMIA, Mr. Hamza Umar, confirmed the crime saying suspect concealed the drugs in a false compartment in his luggage.
“Dalugar was apprehended on his way to South Africa. He was found in possession of 1.54kg of substances that tested positive for methamphetamine. T he drug was concealed in a false compartment of the suspect’s luggage,” Umar said.
Mr. Ahmadu Giade, the chairman of NDLEA, called on members of the public to support the agency in its efforts to phase out drug trafficking in the country. He added that the suspect would be charged to court at the end of the investigation.
Giade said, “We have made remarkable improvement in our counter-narcotic efforts. The agency is prepared to detect hidden drugs and prosecute the drug barons. Members of the public should avoid drug trafficking and report suspected cases to the agency. This way, a good measure of drug control will be achieved in the country. The suspect will be charged to court soon.”
