NDLEA docks HIV positive suspected trafficker

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has docked an HIV positive man, Anthony Judd Thomas, before a Federal High Court Ikoyi, Lagos, on a one-count charge of illegal drug trafficking.Thomas was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos during the screening of passengers on Virgin Atlantic flight to London Heathrow. He was said to have ingested 96 wraps of powdery substances that tested positive for cocaine, weighing 1.250kg.Investigation by the anti-narcotics agency revealed that Thomas had lived in the United Kingdom for 13 years. He travelled out of Nigeria in 1992 to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from where he moved to the Essex in Britain. He also made six trips to the United States between 2008 and 2010. He hails from Ideato Local Government Area of Imo State. The suspect, in his confessional statement, which is pending before the court as prosecution exhibit, stated that his health condition made him to resort to drug trafficking as he could no longer cope with the stress of work on construction sites. 'I am a construction worker in the United Kingdom. As a result of my health condition, I could not continue with my construction work and I must survive. That was how I got involved in drugs. I am at a crisis point and could not resist the temptation' he stated.At the last hearing, the court took the plea of the accused, during which he pleaded not guilty. The matter was adjourned for hearing of his bail application.
Click here to read full news..