NDLEA ARRESTS 63-YEAR-OLD CHINESE WOMAN OVER 31KG CANNABIS SHIPMENT, SEIZES MULTI-BILLION NAIRA DRUG CONSIGNMENTS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman, identified as Ting Hung Kiong, for allegedly attempting to smuggle a large consignment of “Canadian Loud,” a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria.
The suspect was intercepted on Sunday, 17 May 2026, upon arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, after flying in from Thailand via Dubai on an Emirates Airline flight.
According to the NDLEA, the woman, who reportedly naturalised in Malaysia, was stopped by operatives stationed at Terminal 2 Arrival Hall during routine checks.
Investigations revealed she had travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before heading to Nigeria, where she was allegedly handed two large suitcases containing 31.0 kilograms of synthetic cannabis.
The agency said the suspect claimed she worked as a caregiver in Malaysia and that her daughter financed her trip. She also stated she spent two weeks in Thailand before receiving the illicit consignment at the airport for onward delivery to Nigeria.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted another major drug shipment at the import shed of the Lagos airport, consisting of 29 cartons containing 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg imported from India via an Emirates Cargo flight.
The agency said the opioids, valued at about N2.19 billion, were handed over by the Nigeria Customs Service following close monitoring.
At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, operatives arrested a suspect, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, during passenger clearance on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa. The suspect later excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine under observation.
In Abuja, operatives of the NDLEA arrested a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy. A search of his luggage uncovered over 10,000 pills of various opioids hidden in a carton.
The agency also reported the interception of MDMA (Ecstasy) and tramadol concealed in everyday items such as bicycle parts, soap containers, and body cream at a courier company in Lagos, destined for the Netherlands, United States, and United Kingdom.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided Igwe community in Owan East LGA, recovering 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489kg alongside cannabis seeds.
Similarly, in Kano State, a suspect identified as Isah Sani was arrested with 196,000 pills of exol-5 along the Zaria–Kano road.
At the Seme border area in Badagry, Lagos State, operatives recovered 59kg of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo, while in Ekiti State, another raid led to the seizure of 1,116kg of skunk and the arrest of a 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across the affected commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain efforts in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking while intensifying public awareness campaigns under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.
He praised the balance between drug supply reduction operations and sensitisation programmes across schools, worship centres, and communities nationwide.
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