A 63-year-old woman of Chinese origin, reportedly naturalised in Malaysia, has been apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after arriving in Lagos with over 31 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud a high-potency synthetic cannabis strain concealed in her luggage.
The suspect, identified as Ting Hung Kiong, was nabbed on Sunday, May 17, at the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport after disembarking from an Emirates Airline flight that originated in Thailand and connected through Dubai.
Investigators say she travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before making her way to Nigeria via the United Arab Emirates, carrying two oversized boxes packed with the illicit substance. Under questioning, she claimed to work as a caregiver in Malaysia and alleged that her daughter financed the trip. She further told investigators that after spending two weeks in Thailand, she was handed the drug consignment at the airport with instructions to deliver it upon arrival in Nigeria.
Tapentadol Shipment Worth Over ₦2 Billion Seized
In a separate operation at the same Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted a massive cargo of Tapentadol tablets flown in from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight. The consignment — comprising 29 cartons containing 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg — was monitored by operatives and subsequently handed over by the Nigeria Customs Service on Friday, May 22. Its street value is estimated at ₦2,190,852,000.
Cocaine Excreted, Pills Seized In Enugu And Abuja
At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, a passenger identified as Onyeka Valentine Emeka was flagged during the clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight arriving from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa. After being placed under observation, he eventually excreted 185.36 grammes of cocaine.
In Abuja, a 29-year-old building engineer named Babatunde Prosper Afekhide was intercepted at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan, Italy. A search of his belongings uncovered 10,280 pills of Tramaking, Tramadol and Tapentadol hidden inside a carton within his suitcase.
Courier Companies, State Operations Also Targeted
NDLEA operatives similarly intercepted narcotics at a Lagos courier facility. Seized items included 1,174 MDMA pills tucked inside a bicycle luggage carrier bound for the Netherlands, 66 tramadol tablets hidden within a soap container headed to the United States, and 18 tramadol tablets concealed in a body cream container destined for the United Kingdom.
In Edo State, a raid on Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area yielded 489kg of skunk packed across 59 jumbo bags, along with 9kg of cannabis seeds. At the Seme border in Lagos, 59kg of skunk was recovered from a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry.
Operatives in Ekiti State stormed a warehouse in Ikole-Ekiti, seizing 1,116kg of skunk and arresting 54-year-old Ogundana Adebayo Julius in connection with the haul. In Kano, Isah Sani, 30, was caught along the Zaria–Kano road carrying 196,000 pills of Exol-5.
Marwa Commends Officers, Calls For Sustained Pressure
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa praised the officers behind the multi-state operations spanning Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Edo, Ekiti, Kano and Seme. He called on commands nationwide to maintain operational momentum and continue the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation drive across schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities.
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