Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 24-year-old Thai national, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, for attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria. The illicit substance, weighing 46.6 kilograms, was intercepted at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect, who admitted to being a hired drug courier, was arrested last Thursday during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar. The contraband was discovered concealed within her luggage at the arrival hall of Terminal 2.
During interrogation, Ms. Wimonnat reportedly disclosed that the drug trafficking syndicate that recruited her had promised a payment of $3,000 upon the successful delivery of the illicit drugs in Nigeria.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives thwarted another drug trafficking attempt at the Lagos airport last Friday. A syndicate’s plan to ship 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, weighing 42.2 kilograms, to London was foiled when officers discovered the concealed drugs within the walls of crated cartons at the airport’s export shed. Three individuals—a freight agent and two dispatch riders—were initially arrested, leading to the swift apprehension of the shipment’s mastermind, Samuel Bitris, at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
Further anti-narcotics operations were carried out at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, where NDLEA officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a shipment containing 49 cartons of Tamol (a brand of Tramadol 225mg), totaling 49,000 pills.
Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives arrested multiple drug trafficking suspects across different states. In Nasarawa, officers apprehended Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42, in Kokona/Keffi with 517 kilograms of skunk. Additionally, in Niger State, two suspects—Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45—were arrested last Thursday while transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Corolla along the Sabon Asibiti road in Kontagora.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaigns in schools, religious centers, workplaces, and communities.
Commending the efforts of NDLEA officers at MMIA, Port Harcourt Port Complex, and the Niger and Nasarawa commands, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their dedication to both drug supply reduction and demand reduction strategies, emphasizing that their operational successes were well recognized and appreciated.
