Nosa Aituamen
A 24-year-old Thai woman, Pattaphi Wimonnat, was apprehended at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, February 20, 2025, for attempting to smuggle 46.60 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, into Nigeria.
According to a statement released by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Ms. Wimonnat was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar, at Terminal 2.
The illicit substance was discovered concealed within her luggage.
Ms. Wimonnat, Mr. Babafemi says, confessed to being a hired drug trafficker and stated she was promised $3,000 by a drug cartel for successfully delivering the consignment in Nigeria.
Separate Attempt to Ship Ghanaian Loud to UK Thwarted
In a separate incident, NDLEA operatives at MMIA’s export shed foiled an attempt to ship 42.2 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, concealed within the walls of crated cartons, to London, UK, on Friday, February 21, 2025.
Three individuals, including a freight agent and two dispatch riders, were initially arrested. Subsequently, Samuel Bitris, the alleged mastermind of the shipment, was traced and apprehended at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
Tramadol Seizure at Port Harcourt Port Complex
Meanwhile, at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of Tamol (tramadol 225mg) within a 40ft container on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Multiple Arrests and Skunk Seizures in Nasarawa and Niger States
Further operations by the NDLEA resulted in the arrest of two suspects, Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42, at Kokona/Keffi in Nasarawa State on Saturday, February 22, 2025, with 517 kilograms of skunk.
In Niger State, Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45, were apprehended along Sabon Asibiti road, Kontagora, on Thursday, February 20, 2025, while transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Corolla.
These seizures and arrests highlight the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking across Nigeria.