Aircraft Crews To Undergo Rigorous Search Before Take Off As Arik Airline’s Drug Mess Splashes On To Other Aviation Companies

…officials, airport workers included

The drug trafficking mess spattered all over the brand name and operations of Arik Airline have splashed onto other aviation companies.

Fresh revelations have it that against the backdrop of the arrest of a Senior Arik Airline attendant smuggling a 20kg of cocaine with the street value of N110million the leadership of anti drug agency, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has decreed that all flight crews across board, as well as airline officials and workers are to henceforth undergo rigorous scrutiny.

The national anti drug body is said to be irked that the lead was blown off the drug smuggling operation involving Arik Airline abroad.

The development which gave the NDLEA a bloody nose saw Arik senior flight attendant Chika Egwu Udensi got arrested with 20 kg of cocaine in London after successfully beating law enforcers back home.

Ongoing investigation later revealed the ‘operation’ that got Udensi into trouble with the law wasn’t a one off trip.
The NDLEA as part of efforts to beef up security against drug smuggling, redeem its image and forestall such an embarrassing situation in future has directed a blanket search on all flight crews, airline officials as well as workers before flight take off.

According to information made available to societynowng.com the NDLEA has stressed to its agents that Airline officials and airport workers should be subjected to comprehensive search.

Included are also ‘catering trucks, luggage trucks, aviation fuel tankers, machines and personnel whose duty directly or indirectly related to the tarmac and flight operations would be subjected to full screening’

Societynowng.com learnt that this NDLEA leadership is taking the development very seriously as it seeks to fish out all those involved in the Arik Air drug mess, as well as bring the source and cartel responsible for the drug to book.

The agency is said to have read out the riot acts to agents manning the airports and other entry and exit points of the country…and anybody found wanting in performance of duty would be heavily sanctioned.

The incident that sparked off the aggressive posture to combating drug smuggling transpired on Monday August 24 2015.

Chika Egwu Udensi, a senior flight attendant with Arik Airline was arrested by UK Border force.

He was nabbed with a 20kg of cocaine with the estimated street value of N110million.

The suspect had successfully beat local security officials to transport the illegal substance.

The NDLEA had swung into action to redeem its image by bring all those involved at its own end to brought.

Its investigation had unveiled another Arik Airline staffer Ikechukwu Chibuzor Oliver, an employee at the catering department.

Investigation into the occurrence is still on to unveil other shaded figures and get to the root of the case.