Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple illicit drug consignments across the country, including the arrest of a 24-year-old Thai national, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Wimonnat was caught attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 46.60 kilograms, into Nigeria. She was apprehended on Thursday, February 20, 2025, during passenger clearance on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha. The suspect confessed to being hired by a drug cartel that promised her $3,000 for successfully delivering the consignment.
In another operation on Friday, February 21, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport disrupted a trafficking attempt involving 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, weighing 42.2 kilograms, concealed in the walls of crated cartons and bound for London. Three suspects, including a freight agent and two dispatch riders, were initially arrested. The alleged mastermind, Samuel Bitris, was later tracked and apprehended at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
Meanwhile, in Rivers State, NDLEA officers at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of Tamol, a tramadol-based opioid, during a joint operation with Customs and other security agencies.
Further arrests were made in Nasarawa and Niger states. On Saturday, February 22, two suspects, Bello Adamu (40) and Pius Azuka (42), were caught in Kokona/Keffi with 517 kilograms of skunk. Two other suspects, Usman Ruwa (43) and Yunusa Haruna (45), were also arrested in Niger State on Thursday, February 20, while transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Corolla along Sabon Asibiti Road, Kontagora.
In addition to these enforcement actions, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization programs in schools, religious centers, and workplaces nationwide. Among the institutions reached were Maku Grammar School, Oyo State; Comprehensive Secondary School, Imo State; Jama’atu Islamiyya Secondary School, Kogi State; and Owerri-Aba Primary School, Imo State.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their commitment to curbing drug trafficking and balancing enforcement with public education on drug abuse prevention.
