NDLEA Arrests Chinese Woman Over N2.1bn Drug Shipment at Lagos Airport

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, over an alleged attempt to smuggle a large quantity of illicit drugs into Nigeria.

The suspect, identified as Ting Hung Kiong, who reportedly naturalised in Malaysia, was apprehended on May 17 after arriving in Lagos from Thailand through Dubai aboard an Emirates Airline flight.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the suspect was intercepted at the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall during routine checks by operatives.

According to the agency, two large suitcases belonging to the woman were searched, leading to the discovery of 31 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic variant of cannabis.

Babafemi said the suspect claimed to be a caregiver based in Malaysia and told investigators that her daughter sponsored her trip to Thailand and 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.

The anti-narcotics agency also announced the seizure of a massive consignment of opioid drugs at the Lagos airport cargo section.

The shipment, which arrived from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight, contained 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg estimated at over N2.1 billion.

NDLEA said the consignment was handed over by the Nigeria Customs Service after weeks of surveillance and monitoring by its operatives.

In a related operation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, NDLEA officers arrested a suspect, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

The suspect was later placed under observation and reportedly excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine.

At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, another suspect identified as Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, a 29-year-old building engineer, was arrested while preparing to board a flight to Milan, Italy, through Addis Ababa.

A search of his luggage reportedly uncovered 10,280 pills of Tramaking, Tramadol and Tapentadol concealed inside a carton wrapped with foil paper.

The agency also intercepted hard drugs concealed in parcels meant for export through a Lagos courier company.

Among the seized items were 1,174 pills of MDMA hidden inside bicycle luggage carriers heading to the Netherlands, while additional tramadol tablets concealed in soap and body cream containers were intercepted on their way to the United States and the United Kingdom.

Outside the airports, NDLEA operatives recorded more seizures in Edo, Kano, Lagos and Ekiti states.

In Edo State, officers raided a warehouse in Igwe community, Owan East Local Government Area, recovering 489 kilograms of skunk and nine kilograms of cannabis seeds.

A suspect, Isah Sani, was arrested along the Zaria-Kano road with 196,000 pills of Exol-5, while operatives at the Seme border area of Badagry recovered 59 kilograms of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo.

In Ekiti State, NDLEA said operatives raided another warehouse in Ikole-Ekiti where 1,116 kilograms of skunk were recovered and a 54-year-old suspect arrested.

The agency added that its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse campaign continued across schools, worship centres and communities in different states.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the momentum against drug trafficking and abuse across the country.