Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 24-year-old Thai national, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria. The illicit consignment, weighing 46.60 kilograms, was discovered concealed in her luggage upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar.

During interrogation, Wimonnat admitted she had been recruited as a drug courier and was promised a payment of $3,000 upon successful delivery of the narcotics in Nigeria. She was apprehended during the inward clearance of passengers at Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

In another operation, NDLEA officers intercepted a drug syndicate’s attempt to ship 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, weighing 42.2 kilograms, to London through the MMIA export shed. The consignment had been carefully concealed within the walls of crated cartons. Following investigations, three suspects—a freight agent and two dispatch riders—were initially arrested before operatives traced the mastermind, Samuel Bitris, to his residence at Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos, where he was taken into custody on Friday, February 21.

Similarly, at the Port Harcourt Port Complex (PHPC) in Rivers State, NDLEA officers intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of Tamol, a brand of tramadol (225mg), during a joint cargo inspection with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on Thursday, February 20.

Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives in Nasarawa State arrested two suspects, Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42, with 517 kilograms of skunk in Kokona/Keffi on Saturday, February 22. Meanwhile, in Niger State, two other suspects, Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45, were caught transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Corolla along the Sabon Asibiti road in Kontagora on February 20.

Beyond enforcement, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative with sensitization campaigns in schools, religious centers, workplaces, and communities. Recent outreach programs took place at Maku Grammar School in Oyo, Comprehensive Secondary School in Imo, Jama’atu Islamiyya Secondary School in Kogi, and Owerri-Aba Primary School in Imo, among others.

Commending the officers for their operational successes, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to tackling drug trafficking through a balanced approach of supply reduction and public awareness campaigns.