The story of 38 year-old Mbechi Obiageli Susan, a Nigerian woman who was caught with 51 wraps of cocaine is an astonishing one. It’s not the first time a Nigerian woman would be caught using desperate measures to import or export cocaine; what makes her case more interesting is the fact that she is three months pregnant and ingested 51 wraps of cocaine in an attempt to bring the illicit drugs into Nigeria.

Mbechi who resides in Brazil was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on her way from Sao Paulo, Brazil, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after she was discovered with cocaine with the aid of a scanning machine.

She claimed to be three months pregnant and during the process of profiling, passed 51 pellets of cocaine weighing 900 grammes.

Vanguard reports that she cited poverty as the reason for her action.

The Abuja airport commander of NDLEA, Mr. Hamisu Lawan while commenting on her arrest told Vanguard that he was shocked at the escalating rate of women’s involvement in criminality especially illicit drug trafficking.

Why is there an increase in the rate of women’s involvement in illicit drug trafficking? What do you think about the reason she gave for her actions? What are the health risks of ingesting cocaine as a pregnant woman?

Please share your thoughts.

na wa!