Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, have arrested a 19-year-old student, Benjamin Nnamani Daberechi for attempting to export 7.2 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in crayfish to Europe where he was going for undergraduate studies.
NDLEA chief spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, said the teenage suspect was intercepted on Wednesday, July 12, during an outward clearance of passengers on Turkish Airlines flight TK 0624.
He said during interview by operatives, Daberechi claimed he was a student on his way to Cyprus for studies, but following a thorough search of his luggage, he was found in possession of 7.2kg of a whitish substance neatly concealed inside a sack of crayfish.
A field test of the substance, however, proved positive to Methamphetamine.
Similarly, operatives of the Tincan Port Command of the Agency on Tuesday, 11th July, intercepted a 116.5kg consignment of Colorado, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in bags hidden in a heap of used vehicle parts on the floor of a container marked FCIU 8459700, bearing three units of used vehicles imported from Toronto, Canada.
According to Mr Babafemi, NDLEA operatives in Lagos also thwarted attempts to export various quantities of illicit substances through courier companies.
While 336 grams of skunk stuffed inside computer hard drives going to Dubai, UAE, were seized at a courier firm, a suspect, Ibrahim Analu, 28, was arrested at Iddo motor park, Lagos, as he attempted 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 Omaan. The drug was concealed in 10 of 12 cans of palm fruits paste, locally called Banga, packed in a carton.
Meanwhile, a Lagos-based female lawyer, Ebikpolade Helen, who specialises in 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, Lagos.
While one Abubakar Shuaibu was arrested on Thursday, July 13, at Cappa, Mushin/Oshodi road, Lagos, 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 on Tuesday, July 11, at Ikorodu with 51 litres of skuchies.
This occurred as 372kg cannabis sativa and 48 bottles of skuchies, measuring 48 litres, were recovered from the home of a fleeing drug dealer at Akala, Mushin, Lagos, on Wednesday, July 12.
In Ondo state, operatives stormed a building at Ehin-Ala, Akure South LGA, where they arrested one Abubakar Zayanu Gyambar, 28, with 162 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 1,944 kilograms, while another suspect, Henry Wilson, 50, was nabbed at Ogume town, Ndokwa West LGA, Delta State with same substance weighing 216.5kg.
Equally, a total of 45.41kg cannabis was recovered from Adam Hassan, 27, along Inga wa-Mani – Mashi road, Katsina, en route Niger Republic, while 70kg of same substance was seized from Mamman Nur Shettima on Saturday, July 15, along Kano – Nguru road, Yobe state.
In the same vein, a suspect in Kano, Abdulhamid Lawan Bayaro, 48, was on Friday, July 14, nabbed at Dan Agundi area with 114 blocks of cannabis, weighing 71.7kg, even as operatives recovered 50,000 pills of Tamol, a brand of Tramadol, at Kofar Waika area of the state.
A total of 912,600 pills of pharmaceutical opioids, including tramadol, were recovered from two commercial vehicles (one traveling from Lagos to Kano, the other intercepted along Abuja-Jere-Kaduna expressway) with a suspect, Sahabi Lawal, 25, who was promptly arrested.
In Borno state, 32-year-old Umar Tijjani Mustapha was arrested at Gangamari, MMC, with 55.25kg skunk on Thursday, July 13.
RN
