Chinese Grandmother Arrested as NDLEA Recovers N2.1bn Opioids

By Zainab Uzomah| Abuja

A 63-year-old Chinese grandmother has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 31 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria.

According to a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, the suspect, identified as Ting Hung Kiong, a Chinese national naturalised in Malaysia, was intercepted on 17 May 2026 upon arrival from Thailand via Dubai aboard an Emirates Airline flight.

The agency said investigations revealed that the suspect travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before heading to Nigeria through the United Arab Emirates with two large suitcases containing the illicit consignment.During interrogation, the suspect reportedly told investigators that her daughter sponsored the trip and that she spent two weeks in Thailand before receiving the drug consignment at the airport for delivery in Nigeria.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives recovered 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg worth over N2.1 billion at the import shed of the Lagos airport after the consignment arrived from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight. The shipment, packed in 29 large cartons, was handed over to the agency by the Nigeria Customs Service on 22 May after close monitoring.

The anti-narcotics agency also arrested a suspect, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa. Thesuspect later excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine after being placed under observation.

At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, NDLEA operatives arrested a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, while he attempted to board a flight to Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa. Officers recovered 10,280 pills of Tramadol and Tapentadol concealed inside a carton hidden in his suitcase.

The agency further disclosed that operatives intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy, concealed in a bicycle luggage carrier bound for the Netherlands, while additional consignments of tramadol hidden in soap and body cream containers were seized at a Lagos courier company.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area, recovering 489 kilograms of skunk and ninekilograms of cannabis seeds, while a separate operation in Ekiti State led to the seizure of 1,116 kilograms of skunk and the arrest of a 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius.

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

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands across the country to sustain efforts aimed at reducing drug supply and intensifying anti-drug abuse sensitisation campaigns.