Doctors remove pellets of cocaine from disabled Nigerian

Doctors have surgically removed pellets of substances suspected to be cocaine from a 55-year old Nigerian arrested at the Kotoka International Airport on Thursday.

Okeke Ambrose Ifedilichukwu who is a physically challenged man, is currently in a stable condition at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, TV3 sources at the Narcotics Control Board has revealed.

Details on the number of pellets removed have not yet been disclosed. Initial attempts to get him to expel the substances failed as he was said to be uncooperative.

Ambrose was arrested when he made stopover at Kotoka aboard an Emirate flight en-route to Dubai from Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Deputy Executive Secretary of NACOB, Nii Lante Blankson, said when the flight landed in Accra, Ambrose remained on the flight and behaved abnormally prompting officials remove him, the Daily Graphic reported Saturday.

He was rushed to the Aviation Clinic at the airport for observation.

He said at that stage, officials of NACOB were informed about the situation and they quickly moved in to interrogate the suspect, who admitted to having swallowed pellets of cocaine.

Ambrose explained that he had swallowed the pellets in Abidjan, and was supposed to deliver them to somebody in Dubai. Following his confession, NACOB officials took him to the Akai House Clinic in Accra for further observation.

An X-ray taken at the Akai House Clinic confirmed the suspect had a number of pellets of cocaine in his stomach. The clinic advised that he be medically observed while he expelled the pellets from his stomach.

The suspect was taken back to the Aviation Clinic for further observation and for him to expel the pellets.

Mr Blankson said, however, that while Ambrose went back to the Aviation Clinic, his condition became critical and so he was quickly transferred to the 37 Military Hospital for further treatment.