India arrests Nigerian Okonkwo with ingested cocaine (Read full details)

Monday Tony Okonkwo

India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has recovered 1.3 kilograms of fine quality Colombian cocaine stashed in 90 capsules from the stomach of a Nigerian , who had come to Delhi from Lome, Togo.

According to The Times of India, the accused was taken to hospital where an X-ray confirmed the presence of foreign bodies in his stomach. He was kept in the hospital for two days during which he expelled 90 capsules containing 1.3kg cocaine.

The Nigerian was identified as Monday Tony Okonkwo. He arrived IGI airport in an Ethiopian Airlines plane on February 6.

“When we conducted a thorough search of his body and baggage, he denied having any drugs or banned substance with him. However, the NCB team got suspicious when he said that he had come to India regarding his business of wigs and hair, but was found travelling on a tourist visa,” said Rajender Pal Singh, deputy director general, NCB.

Tony was taken to Safdarjung hospital where an X-ray confirmed the presence of foreign bodies in his stomach. During interrogation, the man revealed that he had ingested the drug capsules at a guesthouse in Lagos.

“The accused said he took around three hours to ingest the capsules and then took a flight to Lome. He then travelled to Addis Ababa from where he boarded a flight to New Delhi. His passport has corroborated the claims,” Singh said.

Monday Tony Okonkwo was supposed to deliver the drugs to another distributor who would have contacted him once his Indian number was active. “We are on the lookout for his handlers based in India and Nigeria,” Singh added.

NCB believes the cartel is being run by a group based in Peru or Bolivia and is the same one that had employed a Brazilian woman earlier to carry the contraband in swallowed packs.

The consignments were first taken to Sao Paolo, Brazil and then distributed throughout west African countries through carriers. The drug was brought to India via Ethiopia or Abu Dhabi.

Pentagon seeks to rent space in Trump Tower…Read full details

(FILES) This file photo taken on March 11, 2016 shows Trump Tower along 5th Avenue in Manhattan in New York. PHOTO: AFP  / GETTY IMAGES / SPENCER PLATT

The Pentagon wants to rent space in Trump Tower in New York for equipment and military personnel accompanying President Donald Trump during his stays there, it confirmed Wednesday.

First Lady Melania Trump and their son Barron are still living in Trump Tower and the real estate tycoon-turned-president plans to make regular visits.

US presidents are accompanied around-the-clock by military personnel, notably those who carry the briefcase containing the nuclear codes that would enable him to launch an attack at a moment’s notice.

The Pentagon’s request for a Trump Tower foothold carries the potential for embarrassment because it plays into a running debate over potential conflicts involving Trump’s vast real estate interests.

Trump has refused to sell off his holdings upon taking office, instead of putting them in a trust managed by his two elder sons.

He also rejected putting his assets in a “blind trust” controlled by an independent manager.

“In order to meet official mission requirements, the Department of Defense is working through appropriate channels and in accordance with all applicable legal requirements in order to acquire a limited amount of leased space in Trump Tower,” Lieutenant Colonel James Brindle, a Pentagon spokesman said.

“The space is necessary for the personnel and equipment who will support the POTUS at his residence in the building,” he said.

According to Pentagon officials, the Defense Department has previously rented space near the private residences of previous presidents. But they were unable to provide details.

CNN reported that renting a full floor on Trump Tower costs about $1.5 million a year.

Just In: Iranian student deported in chaos of Donald Trump’s Muslim ban

Demonstrators protest against President Trump's immigration ban at Chicago International Airport on January 28, 2017 (AFP Photo/Joshua LOTT)<br />

When Sara Yarjani handed her passport to an immigration officer at Los Angeles airport she was sure she’d be waved through customs, as had happened before. Instead, 23 hours later, she was deported.
The 35-year-old Iranian graduate student became one of the first victims of the chaos unleashed by President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, from entering the United States.
Yarjani, who spoke with AFP by telephone late Monday from Vienna, where she is a permanent resident, said her ordeal began shortly after her plane landed Friday evening and — unbeknownst to her — Trump’s travel ban had kicked in.

“I had been on holiday in Canada to see my sister and then went to Austria and was coming back to resume classes,” said Yarjani, a student of holistic health at the California Institute for Human Science, located north of San Diego.
“I was not expecting to be stopped,” she said. “I had previously entered the country and was treated very well … and gone through customs within minutes.”
This time she quickly realized that it would be different, as the immigration officer took her passport and ushered her to a waiting area.
Two female officers who barked orders patted Yarjani down as she stood against a wall with her arms raised. She was told to remove her shawl, her jewelry and shoe laces, and was asked to hand over any cash as well as her cell phone — all of which were later returned.
Yarjani said after nearly four hours of waiting and questioning, during which she was allowed no phone calls, an officer compelled her to sign a form agreeing to deportation on grounds, he claimed, that her student visa was no longer valid.
– ‘Leave voluntarily or forcibly’ –
“The officer told me ‘you have two option– either you comply and agree to leave voluntarily … or you will forcibly be deported and face a ban of one to five years or longer of reentry to the US’,” she said.
“The way he was saying it was very threatening and I felt I had no choice.”
Yarjani said she became aware of the mayhem caused by Trump’s order when she was allowed, shortly after midnight, a quick call to her sister to let her know she was being deported.
“I arrived in LA at 8:35 pm Friday and left at 7:30 pm the next day,” she said.
Yarjani said as she was being escorted by two armed officers for her flight back to Europe, she was able to briefly check her phone and learned that a federal judge had temporarily blocked part of Trump’s executive order.
“I told one of the officers that a judge had ruled against the ban … and that I should not be put on the plane but all she said was ‘wowza’ while ordering me to keep walking,” Yarjani said.
She said now that she was back in Austria with her parents, she was still trying to come to terms with what had happened and considering her next move.
“It’s a very confusing feeling right now because on the one hand I feel thankful I am out of their custody but on the other hand, it’s really sad and heartbreaking because I really love what I am studying,” she said, her voice breaking.
“I have worked so hard for the past year and a half and it’s been such a long journey to get there and to study something I am really passionate about.”
She said university officials have been very supportive and concerned about her fate while attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have also offered assistance.
“Being stopped from entering the country to continue my studies does not make any sense,” said Yarjani, who was due to graduate this summer.
“I was treated as if I had done something drastically wrong … and I don’t think studying something that is aimed at helping people is a crime you should be deported for.”