Felix Temitope, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 24-year-old Thai national, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, for attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria. The illicit substance, weighing 46.60 kilograms, was discovered in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
According to a statement today by the agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Ms. Wimonnat was apprehended on Thursday, February 20, 2025, during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar. Upon interrogation, she confessed to being a hired courier, stating that the drug cartel responsible for the shipment promised her a payment of $3,000 for successfully delivering the consignment.
In a related development, NDLEA officers intercepted a shipment of 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, weighing 42.2kg, concealed within the walls of crated cartons destined for London, UK. The operation, which took place at the export shed of Lagos airport on Friday, February 21, led to the arrest of three suspects, including a freight agent and two dispatch riders. Further investigations led to the swift arrest of the mastermind, Samuel Bitris, at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
At the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 40ft container loaded with 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of tamol, a variant of tramadol 225mg. The seizure was made on Thursday, February 20, during a joint examination involving officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
Similarly, in Nasarawa State, NDLEA officers arrested two suspects, Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42, on Saturday, February 22, at Kokona/Keffi with 517kg of skunk. In Niger State, another operation on Thursday, February 20, resulted in the arrest of two individuals, Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45, who were caught transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Corolla along Sabon Asibiti Road, Kontagora.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continues its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitization programs in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities. Recent initiatives include awareness lectures at Maku Grammar School in Tapa, Oyo State; Comprehensive Secondary School in Orogwe, Imo State; Jama’atu Islamiyya Secondary School in Ankpa, Kogi State; and Owerri-Aba Primary School in Ugwunagba, Imo State, among others.
Commending the efforts of NDLEA personnel involved in these operations, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded their commitment to tackling drug trafficking and abuse. He emphasized the agency’s dual approach of drug supply reduction and demand reduction as pivotal to achieving a drug-free society.
