Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 42-year-old Indian national, Ms. Neetu Neetu, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, for attempting to smuggle 72 parcels of heroin concealed in chocolate wafer wraps.

The illicit consignment, weighing 11 kilograms, was seized from Neetu’s luggage during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha, on Friday, March 14, 2025. NDLEA officials uncovered the drugs following a thorough search based on credible intelligence.

Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), highlighted the growing trend of drug cartels recruiting foreign nationals, particularly white women, to traffic illicit substances into Nigeria. He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to disrupting such networks through advanced technology and proactive intelligence.

In another operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested a 45-year-old suspect, Michael Ogundele, on Thursday, March 20, with a 50-litre steel gas cylinder at Gadar Tamburawa, along Zaria-Kano Road. Upon cutting open the cylinder, officers discovered 50,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg hidden inside.

Other arrests in Kano include Sunday Ogar, 40, who was caught in the Gunduwawa area on March 19 with 27kg of skunk, a potent cannabis strain, while a female suspect, Khadijah Abdullahi, 40, was apprehended in Lungun Bulala Yalwa on March 18 with 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup.

In Lagos, NDLEA arrested Olumuyiwa Kolawole and Samod Adisa in Mushin with 67.5kg of skunk, while another 100.8kg was seized from a store belonging to two fleeing suspects in Anifowoshe. In Apapa, Isah Idris was caught with 4.5kg of skunk, 600 grams of Tramadol 225mg, and 30 litres of codeine syrup on March 18. Another suspect, Yahaya Mohamed, was arrested the same day in the Ikotun area with varying quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.

Across the country, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitization programs in schools, markets, motor parks, workplaces, and religious centers. These included lectures at Chrisland School, Ikeja, Lagos; Hakimi Secondary School, Mokwa, Niger State; Marist Comprehensive College, Nteje, Anambra State; Ikole City College, Ikole Ekiti, Ekiti State; and Government Day Secondary Schools in Sunane (Sokoto) and Jada (Adamawa).

Brig. Gen. Marwa commended NDLEA officers in Kano and Lagos for their efforts, urging them to sustain their fight against drug trafficking and abuse nationwide.