“I started selling marijuana to finance my education”- Varsity graduate
An arrested graduate of Ambrose Ali University, Iredia Austine has revealed how he started trading marijuana, which he claimed to have started while in school.
Following a tip-off, Austine was arrested at his residence in the Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State for allegedly trafficking drug.
Fully armed officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, stormed the residence of the suspect on Ohiomah Street, where 82 bags of dried weeds, weighing 762 kilogrammes, were discovered.
Revealing what led him into peddling marijuana, Austine said he started trading marijuana since his first year in school.
According to him, being financially stranded pushed him into selling marijuana as an undergraduate while in school.
He said, “I studied Geophysics at the Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, and completed my National Youth Service Corps (programme) in January, 2018. I started selling cannabis in 2011 when I gained admission into the university. This was because I had no one to help me financially.
“After my graduation, I stopped selling cannabis; but the temptation arose when I purchased a form for my Masters degree programme at the University of Port Harcourt.
“It was circumstances that made me to deal in it (cannabis) and this is the largest quantity of cannabis I have bought at a time. Please, I need help because there is nobody I can turn to in life for assistance.”
Confirming Austine’s arrest on Monday, the NDLEA Commandant in Edo State, Buba Wakawa said the weed found in Austine’s residence tested positive for cannabis sativa.
He said, “The suspect was arrested at his residence in Otuo based on intelligence report. During a search operation, officers discovered 82 bags of cannabis sativa concealed inside the ceiling of his house with a total weight of 762kgs.”
