News / Health & Wellness
Drugs & Desperation
The drug trade continues to flourish when we have Nigerian women desperate enough to risk their lives for $6,000 by attempting to smuggle heroin into the US.
It’s a shocking story that many in the US can’t even wrap their minds around – even with the current financial crisis: A Nigerian woman was arrested January 6, 2011, at Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport for smuggling drugs in the country. Customs and Border Protection authorities arrested 32-year-old Sherifat Lamidi, who was later found to be carrying 91 pellets of heroin inside her body. It was the biggest bust of its kind in recent memory, with Lamidi having swallowed 2½ pounds of the drug encased in balloon-like packaging, according to the arresting agency.
The drugs she was carrying had an estimated street value of $125,000, but Lamidi was reportedly paid only $6,000 for putting her life at risk. Once arrested, she admitted it wasn’t her first time to take such a chance. The Detroit Free Press reported that the suspect admitted she was previously paid $4,500 to travel to Chicago after ingesting 50 heroin pellets.
Drug Transportation
Stopping that amount of heroin from entering the country and hitting our streets is certainly cause for celebration, but Lamidi’s story only highlights why it’s so hard to get a handle on the drug problem here in America. When there is a demand for the product, and impoverished, desperate people willing to take unthinkable chances with their health and freedom, it’s hard to stop. In the end, arrests like this are a small drop in the bucket. In the end, education and treatment are needed as well.
Drug Rehab
If you or someone you love is in need of drug treatment, call The Canyon at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
