Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 24-year-old Thai woman, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, for attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 46.6 kilograms into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The arrest took place on February 20 during the routine clearance of passengers arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar, at the airport’s arrival hall, Terminal 2. Upon inspection, the illicit drugs were found concealed in her luggage.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi revealed that the suspect admitted she was hired by a drug trafficker to transport the drugs.
She stated that the cartel promised to pay her $3,000 for successfully delivering the narcotics to Nigeria.
In a separate operation, Babafemi also disclosed that NDLEA officers intercepted another drug trafficking attempt on February 21. This time, a syndicate attempted to ship 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, totaling 42.2 kg, concealed within the walls of crated cartons bound for London, UK, through the Lagos airport’s export shed.
Three suspects a freight agent and two dispatch riders were arrested initially, but the mastermind of the shipment, Samuel Bitris, was swiftly traced and apprehended at his home in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
In a further operation at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA officers intercepted a shipment containing 49 cartons of Tamil tramadol pills (225mg), amounting to 49,000 tablets, on February 20. The interception occurred during a joint examination with the Nigerian Customs Service and other security agencies.
Meanwhile, in Nasarawa State, on February 22, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects—Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42—at Kokona/Keffi, with 517 kilograms of skunk. Another operation in Niger State resulted in the arrest of two suspects—Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45—who were transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Corolla along Sabon Asibiti Road, Kontagora, on February 20.
These successful operations highlight the ongoing efforts of the NDLEA to curb drug trafficking and protect Nigeria from the dangers of illicit drugs.
