The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese national, an octogenarian woman, and several others in separate operations across Nigeria as part of intensified efforts to curb drug trafficking.
In a statement released on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed that a Chinese citizen, Liang Tak You, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Friday, July 25. Liang, who arrived from Bangkok via Dubai aboard an Emirates flight, was found with 50 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 26.10 kilograms.
“Liang is a Chinese national, naturalized in Malaysia. He flew from Malaysia to Thailand, picked up two suitcases containing the drugs, and proceeded to Nigeria via the UAE,” Babafemi stated. NDLEA operatives, who had been monitoring him from his point of departure, arrested him shortly after he cleared airport protocols.
In another raid, NDLEA operatives in Calabar South, Cross River State, arrested 80-year-old Grace Ekpeme at her residence on Edet-Nsa Street. She was found with over 3 kilograms of skunk following an intelligence-led operation early Saturday, July 26.
In Lagos, the agency also apprehended one Chidi Agbafo along the Epe-Ajah Expressway while he was transporting 21.7 kilograms of Colorado (another high-grade cannabis variant) and 3.8 litres of codeine syrup concealed in moimoi sachets. He was reportedly en route to deliver the consignment to clients in Warri and Oghara, Delta State.
Additionally, a major drug bust was recorded at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, where operatives recovered 101 kilograms of Canadian Loud. The drugs were concealed in 202 tins of imported food items labeled “Bean Salad Mix” and hidden inside two Toyota Sienna buses shipped from Canada. The seizure followed a joint operation involving NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies.
Babafemi confirmed that all suspects would be prosecuted after investigations, adding that the NDLEA would continue to pursue drug syndicates with precision and vigilance.
