The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, over an alleged attempt to smuggle 31 kilograms of “Canadian Loud,” a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria.
The suspect, identified as Ting Kiong, was arrested on May 17 shortly after arriving from Thailand via Dubai aboard an Emirates Airline flight.
According to NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, operatives attached to the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall intercepted the suspect after discovering two large suitcases containing the illicit substance.
Babafemi said the suspect, who reportedly naturalised in Malaysia, claimed during interrogation that she worked as a caregiver and travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before heading to Nigeria.
“She further disclosed that she spent two weeks in Thailand before she was handed the illicit consignment at the Thailand airport to deliver in Nigeria,” the statement said.
The arrest came amid intensified nationwide anti-drug operations by the agency targeting airports, border routes and courier channels used by trafficking networks.
In another operation at the Lagos airport import shed, NDLEA operatives intercepted 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg valued at more than N2.1 billion after monitoring the shipment, which arrived from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight.
The consignment was later handed over to the NDLEA by the Nigeria Customs Service.
At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, operatives arrested a suspect identified as Onyeka Valentine Emeka during passenger clearance on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone through Addis Ababa.
The agency said the suspect later excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine while under observation.
Another suspect, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, a 29-year-old building engineer, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy.
NDLEA said a search of his luggage uncovered 10,280 pills of tramadol and tapentadol concealed inside cartons wrapped with foil paper.
At a courier facility in Lagos, operatives also intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy, concealed inside a bicycle luggage carrier bound for the Netherlands.
Additional seizures included tramadol pills hidden inside soap and body cream containers being shipped to the United States and the United Kingdom.
Outside the airports, NDLEA operatives carried out raids in several states.
In Edo State, officers recovered 489 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds during a raid on the Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area.
Along the Zaria-Kano road, operatives arrested a suspect, Isah Sani, with 196,000 pills of Exol-5.
At the Seme border in Lagos, officers recovered 59 kilograms of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ikole-Ekiti and recovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk, leading to the arrest of a suspect identified as Ogundana Julius.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
