NDLEA Arrests Thai Woman for Smuggling Cannabis at Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has thwarted an attempt by a 24-year-old Thai national, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a highly potent strain of synthetic cannabis, into Nigeria. The illicit drugs, weighing a total of 46.60 kilograms, were intercepted at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

Ms. Wimonnat was apprehended during passenger screening after arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha on February 20. Upon questioning, she admitted to being recruited by a drug syndicate that promised her a payment of $3,000 upon successful delivery of the narcotics.

In a separate operation, NDLEA officers prevented the illegal shipment of 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, totaling 42.2 kilograms, which were concealed in crated cartons bound for the United Kingdom. The interception at Lagos airport led to the arrest of a freight agent and two dispatch riders, with further investigations resulting in the capture of the alleged mastermind, Samuel Bitris, at his residence in Ajah, Lagos.

Additionally, at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, security operatives seized 49 cartons containing 49,000 tablets of Tamol (a 225mg tramadol brand) during a joint inspection with the Nigeria Customs Service.

Further arrests were made in Nasarawa State, where two men, Bello Adamu (40) and Pius Azuka (42), were caught in possession of 517 kilograms of cannabis. In Niger State, two more suspects, Usman Ruwa (43) and Yunusa Haruna (45), were arrested while transporting 62.7 kilograms of the substance in a Toyota Corolla along the Sabon Asibiti Road in Kontagora.

As part of its ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, the NDLEA continues to engage communities through awareness campaigns in schools, religious institutions, and workplaces across the country. NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s operatives for their efforts in combating drug-related crimes and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to reducing both the supply and demand for illicit substances in Nigeria.