February 23, (THEWILL) – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has foiled an attempt by a 24-year-old Thai lady, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 46.60 kilograms into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.
A statement issued on Sunday, by the NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, revealed that Ms. Wimonnat was arrested by anti-narcotics operatives on Thursday, 20th February 2025, during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar, at the arrival hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport. The illicit consignment was discovered in her boxes.
The suspect, who confessed to being a hired drug trafficker, stated that the drug cartel that recruited her had promised to pay her $3,000 upon the successful delivery of the illicit drug consignment in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, another attempt by a drug trafficking syndicate to ship 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, with a total weight of 42.2 kilograms concealed in the walls of crated cartons to London, UK, through the export shed of the Lagos airport, was also thwarted by NDLEA officers on Friday, 21st February.
Three suspects—a freight agent and two dispatch riders—were initially arrested in connection with the seizure. The mastermind of the shipment, Samuel Bitris, was swiftly traced to his home in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos, where he was arrested.
Similarly, NDLEA officers on Thursday, 20th of February, intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of Tamol, a brand of tramadol 225mg, in a 40ft container during a joint examination of the shipment with officials of the Customs Service and other security agencies at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State.
In Nasarawa State, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 22nd February, arrested two suspects—Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42—in Kokona/Keffi with 517 kilograms of skunk. In a separate operation, two other suspects—Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45—were nabbed in a Toyota Corolla car conveying 62.7 kilograms of skunk along Sabon Asibiti Road in Kontagora, Niger State, on Thursday, 20th February.
With the same vigour, commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities, among others, during the past week. These included WADA sensitisation lectures to students and staff of Maku Grammar School in Tapa, Oyo State; Comprehensive Secondary School in Orogwe, Imo State; Jama’atu Islamiyya Secondary School in Ankpa, Kogi State; and Owerri-Aba Primary School in Ugwunagba, Imo State, among others.
Commending the officers and men of the MMIA, PHPC, Niger and Nasarawa Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), stated that their operational successes, along with those of their compatriots across the country—particularly their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts—are highly appreciated.
