The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman over alleged attempt to smuggle a large consignment of illicit drugs into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The suspect, identified as Ting Hung Kiong, who reportedly naturalised in Malaysia, was arrested on Sunday, May 17, 2026, shortly after arriving from Thailand via Dubai on an Emirates Airline flight.
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the suspect was intercepted at the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall after operatives discovered two large travel boxes containing 31 kilograms of “Canadian Loud,” a potent synthetic strain of cannabis.
NDLEA said the operation was based on intelligence and close monitoring of passengers arriving on the suspect’s flight.
During preliminary questioning, the agency said the 63-year-old claimed she worked as a caregiver in Malaysia and alleged that her daughter financed her trip from Malaysia to Thailand before proceeding to Nigeria.
“She further disclosed that she spent two weeks in Thailand, where she was handed the illicit consignment at the airport to deliver in Nigeria,” the statement added.
The agency said the arrest forms part of ongoing efforts to dismantle international drug trafficking networks targeting Nigeria through air routes.
In a separate operation at the same airport, NDLEA officers also intercepted a major pharmaceutical drug shipment imported from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight.
The agency said the consignment, which had been under surveillance since arrival, contained 29 cartons of Tapentadol 250mg tablets, totaling 1,825,710 pills, with an estimated street value of ₦2,190,852,000.
NDLEA confirmed that the shipment was formally handed over by the Nigeria Customs Service following coordinated enforcement action.
Elsewhere, the agency reported multiple arrests across the country as part of its wider crackdown on drug trafficking.
At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, operatives arrested a passenger, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, arriving from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. NDLEA said the suspect excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine while under observation.
In Abuja, a 29-year-old engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, was arrested while attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy. A search of his luggage allegedly uncovered over 10,000 tablets of opioids, concealed in foil paper and hidden inside a carton.
READ ALSO: NDLEA Busts Nigerian–Mexican Drug Cartel In Ogun, Seizes ₦480bn Drugs
NDLEA also disclosed interceptions at courier facilities in Lagos, where drugs including MDMA (Ecstasy) and Tramadol were concealed in bicycle carriers, soap containers, and body cream packages destined for Europe and the United States.
In Edo State, operatives raided a cannabis warehouse in Igwe community, Owan East Local Government Area, recovering 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489kg, alongside cannabis seeds.
Similarly, in Kano State, a suspect identified as Isah Sani was arrested with 196,000 pills of Exol-5 along the Zaria–Kano highway, while 59kg of skunk was seized at a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry, Lagos.
In Ekiti State, a major raid on a warehouse in Ikole-Ekiti led to the recovery of 1,116 kilograms of skunk, with a 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, taken into custody.
NDLEA said all operations were part of its ongoing nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which includes enforcement actions and public sensitisation efforts across schools, worship centres, and communities.
Chairman of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers involved in the operations, urging them to intensify the crackdown on drug cartels and trafficking networks operating within and outside Nigeria.