The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman, Ting Hung Kiong, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for allegedly attempting to smuggle 31 kilogrammes of synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.
The agency also said it intercepted opioids valued at about N2.19 billion and recorded multiple arrests and seizures across airports, border communities and courier channels in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Edo and Ekiti states.
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NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on X on Sunday.
Chinese suspect arrested with 31kg of synthetic cannabis
NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal 2 arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International airport arrested Ms Kiong on 17 May after she arrived in Nigeria from Thailand through Dubai on an Emirates Airline flight.
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The agency said officers intercepted her during routine passenger screening and moved her aside for further checks.
Preliminary investigations showed that she travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before heading to Nigeria through the United Arab Emirates, carrying two large suitcases.
NDLEA stated that the bags contained 31 kilogrammes of a synthetic strain of cannabis known as “Canadian Loud.”
The NDLEA said the drug shipment reflects a continuing pattern of trafficking of high-value cannabis variants into Nigeria, particularly the “Canadian Loud” strain, which has featured in several recent large-scale seizures across Lagos.
In one of such cases earlier in May, operatives uncovered a Lagos mansion in Lekki used as a storage hub for 2,326 kilograms of the same strain valued at over N5.8 billion, underscoring what the agency has described as a shift toward bulk storage networks within the country’s commercial capital.
During interrogation, the suspect explained that she worked as a caregiver in Malaysia and told investigators that her daughter sponsored her trip.
She also said she spent about two weeks in Thailand, where she was handed the consignment for delivery to Nigeria.
N2.1 billion opioid shipment intercepted from India
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a large consignment of opioids at the import shed of the Lagos airport.
The agency noted that the shipment contained 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg that arrived from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight.
Officers placed the consignment under surveillance after its arrival before the Nigeria Customs Service handed it over to the NDLEA on 22 May.
The agency valued the seized drugs at N2.19 billion (N2,190,852,000).
The interception comes amid a series of recent high-value drug seizures involving synthetic opioids and cannabis consignments traced to international supply chains routed through Asia and North America, with Lagos repeatedly emerging as a key entry point.
In a separate but related development earlier in the month, authorities had also intercepted a 4,173.5-kilogrammes shipment of Canadian Loud cannabis worth over N10.4 billion at the Tin Can Island Port, following coordinated surveillance by security agencies.
Arrests at Abuja and Enugu airports
NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu arrested a passenger, Onyeka Emeka, during inward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that arrived from Sierra Leone through Addis Ababa.
The agency stated that officers placed him under observation after initial checks and later confirmed that he excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine.
In Abuja, operatives of the agency arrested a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Afekhide, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while he attempted to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan via Addis Ababa.
A search of his luggage revealed 10,280 pills of Tramadol, Tapentadol and other opioids, which were concealed in a carton wrapped with foil paper inside his suitcase.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted several drug consignments at a courier company in Lagos.
READ ALSO: NDLEA uncovers ‘largest’ meth lab in Nigeria, arrests three Mexicans, Nigerians
The agency said officers recovered 1,174 pills of MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, which were hidden inside bicycle luggage carriers and destined for the Netherlands.
It also explained that its operatives intercepted 66 tablets of Tramadol concealed inside a soap container bound for the United States and another 18 tablets hidden in a body cream container heading to the United Kingdom.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided the Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area and recovered 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489 kilograms as well as cannabis seeds weighing nine kilograms.
In Kano State, officers arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Isah Sani, along the Zaria–Kano road with 196,000 pills of Exol-5.
At the Seme border axis in Badagry, Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 59 kilograms of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo after acting on intelligence.
In Ekiti State, operatives raided a warehouse in the Ikole-Ekiti area and recovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk. The agency said it arrested a 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, in connection with the seizure.
WADA campaigns continue nationwide
NDLEA said its commands continued nationwide sensitisation activities under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across schools, worship centres and communities.
The agency held lectures in institutions across Oyo, Anambra, Katsina, Lagos, Enugu, Ekiti and Kano states during the period under review.
The NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved in the arrests and seizures and described their efforts as part of sustained pressure on drug trafficking networks.
He urged personnel across the country to maintain operational momentum in both enforcement and public sensitisation efforts.
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