Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 24-year-old Thai woman, Pattaphi Wimonnat, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to smuggle illicit drugs into Nigeria.
The suspect was apprehended on Thursday, February 20, 2025, while undergoing passenger clearance on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha. NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, revealed in a statement on Sunday that officers discovered 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 46.60kg in her luggage.
According to the agency, Wimonnat confessed to being a hired courier, stating that the drug syndicate that recruited her promised a payment of $3,000 upon successful delivery of the consignment in Nigeria.
NDLEA Foils UK-Bound Drug Shipment
In a separate operation on Friday, February 21, NDLEA operatives intercepted 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, weighing 42.2kg, at the Lagos airport. The illicit drugs were concealed within the walls of crated cartons intended for shipment to London, UK.
Initial arrests included a freight agent and two dispatch riders, but further investigations led to the arrest of the mastermind, Samuel Bitris, at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
More Drug Seizures Across Nigeria
At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA officers intercepted a shipment of 49,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) hidden in a 40ft container during a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
Meanwhile, in Nasarawa State, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42, with 517kg of skunk at Kokona/Keffi on Saturday, February 22. In Niger State, another team apprehended two individuals, Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45, transporting 62.7kg of skunk in a Toyota Corolla along Sabon Asibiti Road, Kontagora, on Thursday, February 20.
NDLEA Intensifies Anti-Drug Campaigns
As part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, the NDLEA continues sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities. Recent outreach efforts were conducted at Maku Grammar School, Oyo; Comprehensive Secondary School, Orogwe, Imo; Jama’atu Islamiyya Secondary School, Kogi; and Owerri-Aba Primary School, Imo.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s officers for their dedication to curbing drug trafficking and abuse nationwide.