A 24-year-old Thai national, Pattaphi Wimonnat, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 46.60 kilograms into Nigeria.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday, revealing that Wimonnat was apprehended during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar, at the arrival hall of Terminal 2, Lagos airport, on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
“The suspect, who confessed to being a hired drug trafficker, disclosed that the cartel that recruited her promised to pay her $3,000 upon successful delivery of the illicit consignment in Nigeria,” the statement read.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers foiled an attempt by a drug trafficking syndicate to smuggle 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, weighing 42.2 kilograms, to London, UK. The drugs were concealed within the walls of crated cartons at the Lagos airport’s export shed. Three suspects, including a freight agent and two dispatch riders, were initially arrested. Further investigation led to the swift arrest of the shipment’s mastermind, Samuel Bitris, at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State, on Thursday, February 20, intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of tamol, a brand of tramadol 225mg, hidden in a 40-foot container. The seizure was made during a joint examination conducted in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
In Nasarawa State, officers arrested two suspects, Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42, in Kokona/Keffi with 517 kilograms of skunk on Saturday, February 22. Additionally, two more suspects, Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45, were nabbed in Niger State on Thursday, February 20, while transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Corolla along Sabon Asibiti Road, Kontagora.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands across the country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts in schools, workplaces, worship centers, and communities. Awareness lectures were conducted at Maku Grammar School, Tapa, Oyo State; Comprehensive Secondary School, Orogwe, Imo State; Jama’atu Islamiyya Secondary School, Ankpa, Kogi State; and Owerri-Aba Primary School, Ugwunagba, Imo State, among others.
Commending the NDLEA officers involved in these successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), emphasized the agency’s commitment to a balanced approach in tackling drug supply and demand reduction nationwide.
