Lagos, Nigeria – Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 24-year-old Thai woman, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, for attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria. The intercepted drugs, weighing 46.60 kilogrammes, were discovered at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
According to a statement released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Wimonnat was arrested on Thursday, February 20, 2025, during the inward clearance of passengers from a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha. She admitted to being a hired drug courier and disclosed that the cartel responsible for recruiting her had promised a payment of $3,000 upon successful delivery of the illicit cargo in Nigeria.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers thwarted an attempt by a drug trafficking syndicate to smuggle 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, weighing 42.2kg, to London, UK. The drugs were concealed within the walls of crated cartons at the export shed of Lagos airport. The operation, conducted on Friday, February 21, led to the arrest of three suspects, including a freight agent and two dispatch riders. Subsequent investigations resulted in the apprehension of the syndicate’s mastermind, Samuel Bitris, at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
Meanwhile, at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of Tamol, a brand of Tramadol 225mg. The seizure occurred on Thursday, February 20, during a routine joint inspection.
Elsewhere in the country, NDLEA officers carried out successful raids leading to multiple arrests. In Nasarawa State, two suspects, Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42, were apprehended in Kokona/Keffi with 517kg of skunk on Saturday, February 22. Similarly, in Niger State, operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla carrying 62.7kg of skunk along Sabon Asibiti road in Kontagora on Thursday, February 20. Two suspects, Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45, were taken into custody in connection with the drugs.
The NDLEA has reaffirmed its commitment to combating drug trafficking and has urged the public to report any suspicious activities. The agency continues to collaborate with both local and international law enforcement agencies to curb the illicit drug trade in Nigeria.
Authorities have reiterated that drug couriers and trafficking syndicates will face the full weight of the law as the fight against illegal narcotics intensifies across the country.
