Nigerian Man Die after Cocaine Burst in his Stomarch on his Way from Brazil

A 34-year old commercial bus driver in Lagos who allegedly swallowed cocaine in Brazil and was arrested on arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos by operatives of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) died when a wrap of the drug ruptured in him after he excreted 10 wraps of the drugs weighing 180 grams.

Ozoani Sunny Edwin allegedly returned from Brazil aboard a South African Airline flight at the airport and tested positive to drug ingestion and was placed on observation.

He then excreted the 10 wraps of the substances that tested positive for cocaine before he was taken to hospital when he complained of stomach pain. He eventually died in the hospital.

NDLEA Commander at the airport, Hamza Umar who confirmed the report said a post-mortem examination conducted at the hospital revealed that his death was due to one of the wraps of cocaine he ingested that ruptured in his stomach.

“Following the sad incident, we made contact with the family members of the deceased. They came and witnessed the operation on the corpse where the ruptured wrap of cocaine that killed their son was recovered from his stomach. The agency has also granted their request for the corpse to be release to them.

“Preliminary investigations showed that the deceased travelled to Brazil in search of greener pastures on 3rd of March 2012.

He told investigators that the drug deal was not in his plan when he left the country. He said he was a bus driver and came to Lagos in 2000.

“He said he was able to save N850,000 that he used in travelling to Brazil in search of better jobs but that the condition he met in Brazil was unbearable. He had language problem and also lacked work permit.

“He said he suffered until a Brazilian lured him into the drug deal as a last resort because he was almost stranded,” Hamza narrated all that were gathered of the deceased.

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the agency, Ahmadu Giade said, “Until we get the penalty right, drug trafficking will remain attractive. Every case of drug trafficking involving type A drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine runs into several millions of naira.

“We must therefore, wield the big stick against offenders to serve as deterrence. I am optimistic that adherence to stringent bail conditions and minimum of 15-years jail term will turn the tide of events.

“This death is sad and painful. The deceased would have been alive to face trial and ultimately given opportunity to learn from his mistakes.

“I urge members of the public to shun drug trafficking and make quality choices that will enable them maximize their destinies,” Giade said.