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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Wednesday stormed and occupied the Lagos house of Chika Egwu Udensi, a crew member of the Arik Air flight W3101, who was arrested with 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at the London Heathrow Airport.

It was gathered that the NDLEA had interrogated pilots and flight attendants for several hours of the flight that left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos for London on Monday night. It was gathered that soon after the interrogation, the NDLEA moved to the suspect’s house in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State.

A source, revealed to our correspondent that “We are currently occupying the house, and we will not leave here until we get all the evidence that we want.” It was gathered that although the operatives had seized the suspect’s Range Rover, the NDLEA was still of the opinion that Udensi had other property.

On the interrogation, the NDLEA in a statement said the entire crew members including some support staff that worked on the flight before it departed Lagos appeared before narcotic investigators at the Ikoyi headquarters of the agency.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, NDLEA, Mr. Ahmadu Giade, was said to have promised to carry out an elaborate investigation into the ongoing case, stressing that all persons involved would be exposed and prosecuted. “The agency has made remarkable progress in it counter-narcotic efforts and will resist any act capable of reversing the gains so far recorded,” he said.

The rate at which people commit the crimes of drug trafficking in other to meet ends meet in Nigeria is increasing day by day. Another suspected cocaine dealer, Kingsley Agu, who was recently arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos has told operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency that he took to crime because he needed money to fund his father’s burial.

The 30-year-old Agu was arrested with two others, Joseph Ezenna and Israel Okoye on the grounds of smuggling cocaine valued at N131m from Brazil. Agu, who seemed remorseful for his act, said told our correspondence that; “I was born in Enugu. I sell clothes at Aba market. I traveled to Brazil in April 2014 because my business was not doing well. The few months I spent in Brazil were even worse than here in Nigeria. While in Brazil, my father died and I had no money for my flight ticket. Bringing cocaine to Nigeria was my last hope of raising some money for my dad’s funeral. I was to be paid N800, 000 for the assignment.”

The drug, which weighed 14.65 kilogrammes, was neatly packed inside laptop bags and female foot wears belonging to the suspects. One of the suspects, Ezenna, who hails from Anambra State, also told investigators that hardship made him to travel abroad. The 28-year-old added that he intended to start a ‘legitimate’ business with a sum of N2.5m his sponsor promised to pay him. “I am married and my wife is pregnant. I used to run a boutique until I lost everything. Out of frustration, I traveled to Brazil in search of employment. I smuggled the drugs for N2.5m. My intention was to settle down and invest the drug proceeds in any legitimate business"