Men of the Nigeria anti illicit drugs police, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA have arrested a female citizen of Thailand with quantities of cannabis in Lagos State, the former capital city of Nigeria; just as NDLEA intelligent operatives fortnight ago bursted transborder drug dealers in Keffi area of Nasarawa state and Onitsha area of Anambra state with the recovering of multi-million-naira opioids from Sienna bus bumper and meth in auto spare part.

The Thai lady was arrested at Lagos airport with boxes of illicit drug consignments, according to news release made available by the NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi on Sunday.

NDLEA in the news release also intercepted UK-bound drug shipments concealed in walls of crated cartons.

Details of the news releases reads in quotes thus: “Attempt by a 24-year-old Thai lady, 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, Ikeja Lagos has been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, who arrested her after discovering the illicit consignment in her boxes.

The suspect who confessed to being a hired drug trafficker was arrested on Thursday 20th February 2025 during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar at the arrival hall, terminal 2 of the Lagos airport.

She said the drug cartel, which recruited her promised to pay her $3,000 upon successful delivery of the illicit drug consignment in Nigeria.

Another bid by a drug trafficking syndicate to ship 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud with a total weight of 42.2kg concealed in walls of crated cartons to London, UK, through the export shed of the Lagos airport was also frustrated by NDLEA officers on Friday 21st February.

Three suspects: a freight agent and two dispatch riders were initially arrested in connection with the seizure before the mastermind of the shipment, Samuel Bitris, was swiftly traced to his Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos home where he was arrested.

At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers state, NDLEA officers on Thursday 20th 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 men of Customs Service and other security agencies.

In Nasarawa state, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 22nd February arrested two suspects: Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42 at Kokona/Keffi with 517kg of skunk, while 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 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, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

These include: WaDA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Maku Grammar School, Tapa, Oyo state; Comprehensive Secondary School, Orogwe, Imo state; Jama’atu Islamiyya Secondary School, Ankpa, Kogi state; and Owerri-Aba Primary School, Ugwunagba, Imo state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, PHPC, Niger, and Nasarwa Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated”.

NDLEA busts trans-border drug cartel, arrests 4 members in Onitsha, Keffi

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have busted a trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, arresting four members in intelligence-led operations during which multi-million-naira worth of tramadol pills concealed in the bumper and false bottom of sienna buses heading to border towns were recovered.

Following weeks of intelligence and surveillance operations by operatives of the Directorate of Intelligence in NDLEA, a Sienna bus marked ABJ 452 HG was intercepted at Nasarawa- Toto road, Keffi, Nasarawa state on Tuesday 27th January 2025 at 6am.

Two suspects: Zahradeen Adamu, 27 and Abubakar Usman, 44, were arrested in the vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state enroute Yola, Adamawa state. A second Sienna bus driven by Abba Usman, 48, was also intercepted.

During a search of the two vehicles, specially constructed steel compartments were discovered after the removal of the back bumper where a total of 190, 960 pills of tramadol were concealed and, in the space, designed to house the spare tyre of the vehicles.

Investigations revealed that an Onitsha, Anambra state-based dealer, Kingsley Mbaeri was the supplier of the seized tramadol consignment. A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of Mbaeri at his Uga Street, Onitsha home on 29th January.

Two vehicles: a Toyota Corolla car marked FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna bus marked GWA 23 HH were recovered from his house.

In another interdiction, operatives of the Intelligence Department intercepted a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra State at Abaji checkpoint, FCT Abuja on 4th February.

A passenger in the bus, Chimezie Henry Ojingwa, 32, carrying motor spare parts in a black bag was arrested. When his bag was searched, 404.47grams of methamphetamine; 506.49grams of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis and 262.32grams of dimethyl sulfone, a precursor substance for mixing meth, all of which were concealed in the motor parts were recovered.

In Cross River state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Ogoja -Abakaliki road, Yahe, on Thursday 13th February intercepted 170,000 pills of tramadol in a truck driven by Paul Chukwudi, 31, while operatives at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on Tuesday 11th February recovered 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a container imported from India.

Two suspects: Halilu Isa and Gambo Umaru were nabbed at Bama road, Maiduguri, Borno state on Friday 14th February with 60 compressed blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 72kg, while NDLEA operatives in Ekiti state on Tuesday 11th February raided

A notorious drug joint at Iloda street, Ikole-Ekiti where they arrested three suspects: Bala Muhammed, 57; Yahaya Adamu, 55, and Abdullahi Shehu, 30. A total of 83 kilograms of skunk were recovered from them.

In Lagos, 28-year-old Samiat Olabisi Yussuf was on Saturday 15th February arrested by operatives during a raid of her Lekki home where 169.5 litres of nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas and 111grams of Loud were recovered.

Not less than 132.84 kilograms of skunk were recovered from two suspects: Ibrahim Usman, 40, and Solomon James, 40, in Taraba. While Usman was nabbed with 88kg of Arizona and Ghana Loud at Wukari, James was arrested with 44.84kg of same substance at Takanaba, Sabongari, in Jalingo Local Government Area.

Meanwhile, across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WaDA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the past week.

Instances include: WaDA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Government Technical College, Oku, Akwa Ibom; Future Leaders Academy, Kishi, Oyo state; Government Secondary School, Bashire, Sokoto; Ehere Comprehensive School, Ogbor Hill, Abia; Government Day Secondary School, Taura, Jigawa state; and Jesuit College, Agbado Ekiti, Ekiti state; while Kano state command of NDLEA conducted WaDA enlightenment lecture for married women in purdah at Markaz Umar Khattab Centre, Kano, among others.

While commending the officers and men of Directorate of Intelligence, Apapa, Cross River, Borno, Ekiti, Taraba, and Lagos Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired) also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WaDA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility”, Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy
NDLEA stated on Sunday 16th February 2025.