An attempt by a 24-year-old Thai woman, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 46.60 kilograms, into Nigeria through Lagos International Airport has been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). She was arrested after the illicit consignment was discovered in her luggage.
The suspect, who confessed to being a hired drug trafficker, was apprehended on February 20, 2025, during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar, at the arrival hall of Terminal 2, Lagos Airport.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the suspect claimed that the drug cartel that recruited her had promised to pay her $3,000 upon the successful delivery of the illicit consignment in Nigeria.
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Another attempt by a drug trafficking syndicate to ship 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, with a total weight of 42.2 kilograms, concealed in the walls of crated cartons to London, UK, through the export shed of Lagos Airport, was also foiled by NDLEA officers on February 21.
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 residence at Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos, where he was apprehended.
At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State, Babafemi reported that NDLEA officers intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of Tamol, a brand of Tramadol (225mg), in a 40-foot container during a joint examination of the shipment alongside personnel from the Customs Service and other security agencies on February 20.
In Nasarawa State, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Bello Adamu and Pius Azuka, at Kokona/Keffi with 517 kilograms of skunk on Saturday. Meanwhile, two other suspects, Usman Ruwa and Yunusa Haruna, were apprehended on February 20 in a Toyota Corolla transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk along Sabon Asibiti Road, Kontagora, Niger State.
With the same determination, NDLEA commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, places of worship, workplaces, and communities over the past week.
Commending the officers and personnel of the Lagos International Airport, PHPC, Niger, and Nasarawa Commands for their arrests and seizures, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), lauded their operational successes. He also highlighted their well-balanced approach to both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
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