NDLEA arrests Europe-bound 19-year-old student with drugs hidden in crayfish

• The suspect alleged attempted to export 7.2 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in a crayfish sack to Europe
• Operatives of the Tincan Port Command of the Agency on also intercepted 116.5kg consignment of Colorado

One Benjamin Nnamani Daberechi, a student, has been arrested while attempting to traffic drugs to Europe.

The 19-year-old was nabbed with with Methamphetamine drugs concealed inside crayfish by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi made the disclosure in a statement shared on the agency’s Facebook page on Sunday.

Daberechi attempted to export 7.2 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in a crayfish sack to Europe where he was going for undergraduate studies, the statement said.

The statement partly read, “The teenage suspect was intercepted on Wednesday 12th July, during an outward clearance of passengers on Turkish Airlines flight TK 0624.

“While being interviewed by operatives, Daberechi claimed he was a student on his way to Cyprus for studies, but upon a thorough search of his luggage, he was found possessing 7.2kg of whitish substance neatly concealed inside a sack of crayfish. A field test of the substance however proved it is Methamphetamine.

“In the same vein, operatives of the Tincan Port Command of the Agency on Tuesday 11th July intercepted 116.5kg consignment of Colorado, a strong strain of cannabis concealed in bags hidden in a heap of used vehicles parts on the floor of a container marked FCIU 8459700, bearing three units of used vehicles imported from Toronto, Canada.

“Based on intelligence, the Agency had requested a 100 per cent examination of the container which arrived at the TICT terminal of the port on 14th June. A joint examination with the Nigeria Customs, DSS, and other stakeholders on Tuesday 11th July however led to the discovery of 233 parcels of the illicit substance stashed inside travelling bags on the floor of the container, covered with used vehicle spare parts.”

“Another suspect, Ibrahim Analu, 28, carrying 336 grams of skunk stuffed inside computer hard drives going to Dubai, UAE, was seized at a courier firm and was arrested at Iddo motor park, Lagos while attempting to send 151,700 pills of opioids to Kaduna. A total of 4.830kg skunk was also discovered at another courier firm in a shipment from Douala, Cameroon passing through Nigeria to Oman. The drug was concealed in 10 of 12 cans of palm fruit paste, locally called Banga, packed in a carton.

“Meanwhile, a Lekki Lagos-based female lawyer, Ebikpolade Helen, who specialises in the production and distribution of ‘skuchies’, a mixture of cannabis, opioids, and black currant has been arrested in a follow-up operation in Awka, Anambra state following an earlier seizure of 5kg cannabis and 12 bottles of prepared skuchies in her apartment at Lekki.

“Abubakar Shuaibu was arrested on Thursday 13th July at Cappa, Mushin/Oshodi road with 86 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 8.6 litres in his Toyota bus marked FFA 241YB, two other suspects: Razak Ogunbo and Adeola Idowu were nabbed Tuesday 11th July at Ikorodu with 51 litres of scrunchies. This is even as 372kg cannabis sativa and 48 bottles of scrunchies measuring 48 litres were recovered from the home of a fleeing drug dealer at Akala, Mushin Lagos on Wednesday 12th July.”