NDLEA Seizes 31 kg of “Canadian Loud” Opioids and Arrests 63‑Year‑Old Chinese Woman at Lagos Airport

Michael Olugbode in Abuja 

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a 63‑year‑old Chinese woman, Ting Hung Kiong, after she attempted to smuggle 31 kg of “Canadian Loud,” a synthetic cannabis strain, into Nigeria via Lagos airport.

The suspect, a Malaysian naturalised citizen, was taken into custody on 17 May 2026 at the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, following her arrival from Thailand via Dubai on an Emirates flight.

NDLEA investigations revealed that the suspect travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before heading to Nigeria through the United Arab Emirates with two large suitcases that contained the illicit drugs.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said the suspect, who claimed to be a caregiver in Malaysia, disclosed during interrogation that her daughter had sponsored the trip and that she was handed the drug consignment at the Thailand airport for delivery in Nigeria after spending two weeks in the Asian country.

In a separate operation, Babafemi announced that the agency recovered 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250 mg, valued at over N2.1 billion, at the import shed of Lagos airport.

The consignment, which arrived from India aboard an Emirates cargo flight, was handed over to NDLEA officials by the Nigeria Customs Service last Friday after days of surveillance and monitoring by anti‑narcotics operatives.

At Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, NDLEA operatives intercepted Onyeka Valentine Emeka during passenger clearance on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa.

The suspect later excreted 185.36 g of cocaine after being placed under observation.

Similarly, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a 29‑year‑old building engineer named Babatunde Afekhide was arrested while attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa.

NDLEA said a search of his luggage uncovered 10,280 pills of Tramaking 225 mg, Tramadol 200 mg and Tapentadol 250 mg concealed in cartons wrapped with foil paper in an apparent attempt to evade detection.

The agency also intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy, hidden inside a bicycle luggage carrier and bound for the Netherlands at a Lagos courier facility.

Additional seizures included tramadol pills concealed in soap and body cream containers destined for the United States and the United Kingdom.

In Edo State, anti‑narcotics operatives raided Igwe community in Owan East Local Government Area where 489 kg of skunk and nine kg of cannabis seeds were recovered.

A separate operation along the Zaria‑Kano road led to the arrest of suspect Isah Sani, who was found with 196,000 pills of Exol‑5, while officers at the Seme border area of Lagos recovered 59 kg of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry.

In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ikole‑Ekiti and recovered 1,116 kg of skunk. A 54‑year‑old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, was arrested in connection with the seizure.

The anti‑drug agency also said its commands nationwide sustained the War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign across schools and communities in Oyo, Anambra, Katsina, Lagos, Enugu, Ekiti and Kano states.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the various operations and urged them to intensify efforts aimed at reducing drug trafficking and abuse across the country.