NDLEA intercepts cocaine hidden in dried stockfish heads
A large consignment of cocaine concealed in the heads of imported dried stockfish has been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The agency also arrested a key member of the syndicate responsible for shipping illicit substances globally, particularly to India. In a statement on Sunday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, […]
NDLEA intercepts cocaine hidden in dried stockfish heads
A large consignment of cocaine concealed in the heads of imported dried stockfish has been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The agency also arrested a key member of the syndicate responsible for shipping illicit substances globally, particularly to India.
In a statement on Sunday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the dismantling of the syndicate followed intelligence regarding their trans-border criminal activities.
This, he said, led to a well-coordinated sting operation by operatives of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command in the Ojo area of Lagos on Thursday, March 19.
During the operation, three jumbo-sized bags were reportedly found in the possession of a suspect, Akputa Dickson Ejike.
According to Babafemi, a search of the bags led to the recovery of 237 wraps of cocaine buried inside the heads of imported dried stockfish, locally known as “Okporoko.”
The cocaine pellets, which have a gross weight of 5.80 kilograms, were reportedly intended for export to Delhi, India.
In a separate operation in Lagos last Wednesday, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted two illicit consignments at a courier company destined for the United Kingdom.
In one shipment originating from Cotonou, Benin Republic, 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine were found concealed inside automobile filters. The second parcel contained 40 ampoules of Morphine Sulphate and nine ampoules of Fentanyl, Babafemi added.