The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has 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 drugs, weighing 46.60 kilograms, were discovered in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement on Sunday, noted that the suspect was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers from a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Wimonnat confessed that a drug cartel had recruited her with a promise of $3,000 upon successful delivery of the contraband in Nigeria.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives thwarted an attempt to smuggle 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud (42.2 kg) to London. The drugs were cleverly hidden in crated cartons at the Lagos airport export shed. Three suspects a freight agent and two dispatch riders—were initially arrested, leading to the eventual capture of the alleged mastermind, Samuel Bitris, at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
Furthermore, at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service, intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of Tamol (a brand of Tramadol 225mg) during a joint examination on February 20.
In Nasarawa State, NDLEA arrested two suspects, Bello Adamu (40) and Pius Azuka (42), in Kokona/Keffi with 517 kg of skunk on Saturday, February 22. In Niger State, operatives nabbed Usman Ruwa (43) and Yunusa Haruna (45) while they were transporting 62.7 kg of skunk in a Toyota Corolla along Sabon Asibiti Road, Kontagora.
Beyond enforcement, the agency intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts, reaching schools, workplaces, and communities. Some of the institutions visited last week included 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.
NDLEA Chairman and CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers involved in these operations for their commitment to curbing drug trafficking. “Their efforts in drug supply reduction and demand reduction strategies are highly commendable,” he stated.
These recent arrests highlighted NDLEA’s sustained crackdown on illicit drug activities across Nigeria.
