Nigerian Arrested in Heroin Smuggling
NEW YORK — A Nigeria Airways captain, his pockets and luggage bulging with an estimated $8-million worth of heroin, was arrested Wednesday by federal agents who impounded the jumbo jet he was trying to board, authorities said.
Federal prosecutors said the captain, John Billy-Eko, 47, was not piloting the plane but arranged to be aboard as a crew member so he could pass more easily through customs.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Charles Rose said the man was part of a large Nigerian heroin smuggling ring but that investigators did not know what position he held in the organization.
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