Arizona Police Found a Nile Crocodile Hiding Under a Weapons and Drugs Cache at a Phoenix Home

Nile crocodiles are known to be natives in Africa and are the largest reptiles across the continent.

However, an unprecedented incident involved the discovery of the crocodile living at a house in the city of Phoenix, Arizona.

The Arizona police were surprised as the reptile was hiding under a stash of drugs, guns, and cash.

It occurred during a police operation with an accompanied a warrant of arrest for a male suspect accused of various charges, including drug possession, firearms violation, and money laundering.

It is unclear how the Nile crocodile got into the home but it is believed to be a pet of the suspect.

Police Operation

Members of the Phoenix Police Department (PHXPD) stormed the house and arrested a suspect named Adrian Valladares near 71st Avenue/Roosevelt in the city on May 11.

At the site, the police officers found the crocodile in the cache consisting of 855 grams of cocaine, 193,000 fentanyl pills, 15 firearms, and $65,929, according to the local media outlet San Luis Obispo Tribune.

The PHXPD executed the search warrant in late April, according to a news release of the PHXPD, as cited by the local source.

In a Twitter post by the PHXPD on May 28, officers from the Maryvale Precinct and South Mountain Precinct of the police department seized the juvenile crocodile along with 34-year-old Valladares.

It can be seen in the Twitter photos above that the security forces have already compiled the confiscated illegal materials and money.

In addition, the crocodile has been sent to the Phoenix Herpetology Society, also called the Phoenix Herpetology Sanctuary located near Scottsdale and Dynamite Road in North Scottsdale.

What are Nile Crocodiles?

The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is a large reptilian crocodilian living in freshwater habitats of Africa belonging to the family Crocodylidae and order Crocodilia.

In terms of size, it follows the saltwater crocodile, which are the largest of its kind in the world.

The Nile crocodile's size is relative to a 6-foot man or comparable to an average height of an NBA player.

Nile crocodiles have a reported lifespan in the wild for up to 45 years with a size of 16 feet and weight of 500 pounds.

These crocodile species have gained their infamous attribution of being a "vicious man-eater."

Crocodile Attacks

The close proximity of human settlements and the crocodiles' natural habitat often yield to human-wildlife conflict.

This close encounters often result in attacks on humans.

Approximately 200 people die of bites from the jaws of Nile crocodiles each year, according to the National Geographic.

In a study published in the journal Wilderness & Environmental Science in 2005, researchers supported the idea that crocodile attacks are parallel with the increase in human and crocodile populations over the years.

The study claimed that wild crocodile populations have increased from approximately 3,000-5,000 in 1971 to 75,000 in 2000.

In the United States, both crocodile attacks and crocodile intrusions at home have been reported in Florida in recent years.

This is evident in other areas as well where houses are near bodies of water like lakes where crocodiles live.