Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Chinese grandmother, Ting Hung Kiong, 63, for attempting to smuggle a large consignment of Canadian Loud (a synthetic strain of cannabis) weighing 31.0 kilograms into Nigeria.
Kiong, who was naturalised in Malaysia, was arrested on Sunday, May 17, 2026, upon her arrival in Nigeria from Thailand via Dubai, UAE, aboard an Emirates Airline flight.
According to a statement made available to ThelensNG by the Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, she was intercepted by NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
“Investigation revealed that the suspect travelled from Malaysia to Thailand and subsequently to Nigeria via the UAE with two large travel boxes containing the synthetic cannabis consignment weighing 31.0 kilograms.
“During an interview, the 63-year-old suspect who claims she works as a caregiver in Malaysia stated that her daughter sponsored her trip from Malaysia to Thailand and subsequently to Nigeria. She further disclosed that she spent two weeks in Thailand, before she was handed the illicit consignment at the Thailand airport to deliver in Nigeria,” the statement said.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives recovered shipment of illicit drug consignment at the import shed of the Lagos airport.
Babafemi revealed that upon close monitoring of the consignment by NDLEA after its arrival from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight, the 29 large cartons containing 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, worth ₦2,190,852,000, were eventually handed over to the Agency by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Friday, May 22, 2026.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, apprehended a suspect Onyeka Valentine Emeka during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Wednesday, May 20. When placed under observation, the suspect excreted a total of 185.36 grams of cocaine.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, a building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, was arrested by NDLEA operatives while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Abuja via Addis Ababa to Milan Malpensa, Italy, on May 21.
A search conducted on his luggage led to the recovery of 10,280 pills of Tramaking 225mg, Tramadol 200mg, and Tapentadol 250mg. The opioids were concealed using foil paper and hidden inside a carton, in a suitcase, to evade detection.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA (Ecstasy) concealed in a bicycle luggage carrier at a courier company in Lagos and destined for the Netherlands. Other illicit substances recovered included 66 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden in a soap container and bound for the United States, as well as 18 tablets of tramadol 225mg concealed in a body cream container destined for the United Kingdom.
Elsewhere (Edo State), NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area where a total of 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489 kg and cannabis seeds weighing 9 kg were recovered.
A suspect identified as Isah Sani, 30, was nabbed with 196,000 pills of exol-5 along Zaria/Kano road, Kano State, on Wednesday, May 20, while NDLEA officers at Seme border, Badagry area of Lagos recovered 59kg skunk from a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry on Tuesday, May 19.
The Agency further recorded success in Ekiti State when its operatives raided a warehouse located at N/56, Ikoyi Community, Ikole-Ekiti, and recovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk on Saturday, May 23, while another suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, 54, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
In the same, the Agency’s Commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places, communities, and other places in the past week.
The activities included WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Command Day School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State; Girls Secondary School, Amenyi, Anambra; Matazu Model Primary School, Matazu LGA, Katsina; C&S Primary School, Majidun, Ikorodu, Lagos; Alufo High School, Apugo, Enugu; Aramoko District Commercial Secondary School, Aramoko Ekiti; and Government Girls Secondary School, Kurna, Kano State.
Commenting on the arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended the officers of the MMIA, NAIA, AIIA, Edo, Ekiti, Seme, DOGI, and Kano Commands for their professionalism and commitment.
Marwa noted that their drug supply reduction efforts were balanced with WADA sensitisation activities, urging them and their compatriots across the country to continue raising the operational bar.
