The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a 19-year-old student, Nnamani Daberechi, for his involvement in an audacious drug smuggling attempt.
According to Mr. Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA, the arrest took place on July 15 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Daberechi, who was on his way to Europe for his undergraduate studies, was intercepted during an outward clearance process for passengers on a Turkish Airlines flight, TK 0624.
Initially claiming to be a student en route to Cyprus, his intentions soon unraveled. After a thorough search of his luggage, authorities discovered 7.2 kilograms of a whitish substance meticulously concealed within a sack of crayfish. Subsequent testing confirmed the substance to be methamphetamine.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan Port Command intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 116.5 kilograms.
The illicit drugs were concealed in bags hidden amidst a heap of used vehicle parts. The drugs were found on the floor of a container bearing the marking FCIU 8459700, which contained three units of used vehicles imported from Toronto, Canada.
Acting on intelligence, the NDLEA had requested a comprehensive examination of the container that arrived at the TICT terminal of the port on June 14.
The joint examination involving the Nigeria Customs, Department of State Services (DSS), and other stakeholders resulted in the discovery of 233 parcels of the illegal substance.
These parcels were carefully stashed inside traveling bags, disguised beneath used spare parts of vehicles.
