In continuation of its relentless war against illicit drug trafficking in the country, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 63-year-old Chinese grandmother, Ting Hung Kiong, for attempting to smuggle a massive consignment of Canadian Loud—a potent synthetic strain of cannabis—into Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday, 23rd May, by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi. He confirmed that the suspect, a naturalised Malaysian citizen, was intercepted on Sunday, 17th May 2026, upon her arrival at the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, after boarding an Emirates Airline flight from Thailand via Dubai, UAE.
According to the statement, a preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect traveled from Malaysia to Thailand, and subsequently to Nigeria via the UAE, with two large travel boxes containing 31.0 kilograms of synthetic cannabis. During interrogation, the 63-year-old suspect—who claimed she worked as a caregiver in Malaysia—stated that her daughter sponsored her trip. She further disclosed that after spending two weeks in Thailand, she was handed the illicit consignment at the Bangkok airport for delivery in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, another multi-billion naira drug shipment has been intercepted at the import shed of the Lagos airport. Following days of close monitoring by NDLEA operatives since its arrival from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight, 29 large cartons containing 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol (250mg) were officially handed over to the agency by the Nigeria Customs Service on Friday, 22nd May 2026. The seized opioids boast an estimated street value of ₦2,190,852,000.
Similarly, in another successful interdiction operation, NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu intercepted a suspect, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, on Wednesday, 20th May. The suspect was nabbed during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After being placed under excretion observation, he eventually excreted 185.36 grams of wrapped cocaine.
In another breakthrough, NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja arrested a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, on Wednesday, 20th May. The suspect was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Milan Malpensa, Italy, via Addis Ababa. A thorough search of his luggage led to the recovery of 10,280 pills of Tramaking (225mg), Tramadol (200mg), and Tapentadol (250mg). The illicit opioids were tightly wrapped in foil paper and hidden inside a carton within his suitcase to evade detection.
Sustaining the momentum of the nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, the agency recorded further success at a courier company in Lagos. NDLEA operatives intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA (Ecstasy) concealed inside a bicycle luggage carrier bound for the Netherlands. In addition, operatives uncovered 66 pills of Tramadol (225mg) hidden inside a soap container heading to the United States, and 18 tablets of Tramadol (225mg) concealed inside a body cream container destined for the United Kingdom.
In a coordinated nationwide sweep across Edo, Kaduna, Kano, and Lagos States, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence raided the Igwe community in Owan East LGA of Edo State, recovering 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489kg alongside 9kg of cannabis seeds. Meanwhile, a 30-year-old suspect, Isah Sani, was nabbed with 196,000 pills of Exol-5 on Wednesday, 20th May, along the Zaria-Kano Road in Kano State, while another operation in Kaduna yielded further illicit seizures. In a separate operation on Tuesday, 19th May, NDLEA officers at the Seme border command in Badagry, Lagos, recovered 59kg of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo.
However, another breakthrough was recorded in Ekiti State, where NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 23rd May, raided a warehouse located at N/56, Ikoyi Community, Ikole-Ekiti. The high-stakes raid yielded the recovery of 1,116 kilograms of cannabis sativa (skunk), while a 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, was arrested in connection with the massive seizure.
Sustaining the momentum, commands and formations of the agency across the country aggressively ramped up their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities over the past week.
Key advocacy footprints included intensive WADA enlightenment lectures delivered to students and staff at the following locations:
Oyo State: Command Day School, Mokola, Ibadan
Anambra State: Girls Secondary School, Amenyi
Katsina State: Matazu Model Primary School, Matazu LGA
Lagos State: C&S Primary School, Majidun, Ikorodu.
Enugu State: Alufo High School, Apugo
Ekiti State: Aramoko District Commercial Secondary School, Aramoko-Ekiti,
Kano State: Government Girls Secondary School, Kurna.
Commending the officers and men of the MMIA, NAIA, AIIA, Edo, Ekiti, Seme, and Kano Commands, as well as the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) for the strategic arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and robust WADA sensitization activities.
Marwa charged the operatives and their compatriots nationwide to relentlessly raise the operational bar to dismantle drug syndicates across the country.
