In a sweeping nationwide operation, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered multiple drug syndicates in Lagos and across Nigeria, arresting a Chinese businessman and an 80-year-old grandmother, among others. The busts included seizures of synthetic cannabis (Colorado) concealed in moimoi sachets and processed food tins smuggled from Canada.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, a Chinese national, Liang Tak You, was arrested on Friday, July 25, after arriving from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight. The naturalised Malaysian-based suspect was found with two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 26.10kg.

In a separate Lagos raid along the Epe-Ajah Expressway on Wednesday, July 23, NDLEA officers intercepted a suspect, Chidi Agbafo, transporting 21.7kg of Colorado hidden in moimoi cooking sachets and 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup in a commercial bus headed for Delta State.

Also in Lagos, a major seizure occurred at the Apapa seaport, where 101kg of Canadian Loud, neatly packed in 202 tins of “Bean Salad Mix,” was discovered hidden in two Toyota Sienna vehicles inside a container shipped from Canada. The haul was recovered during a joint inspection by NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies.

Elsewhere, an 80-year-old woman, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, was arrested in Calabar South, Cross River State, with over 3kg of skunk during an early morning raid. Similarly, major drug busts were reported in Edo, Ondo, Borno, Ogun, Nasarawa, Niger, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi states, with large quantities of cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol, and other narcotics recovered.

In Edo, a 26-year-old woman, Bright Sunday Okon, was arrested in Benin City with various strains of cannabis and meth. In Ondo State, three brothers were caught cultivating and processing over 2,500kg of cannabis on a plantation in Idoani forest.

In Kogi, NDLEA intercepted a shipment of drugs disguised as local foodstuffs—garri and scent leaves—on the Okene-Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 27-year-old Kindness Bala in Abuja, who was allegedly preparing to traffic the drugs to Katsina and then to Qatar.

Chairman/CEO of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the efforts of officers across Lagos and other commands for their role in the agency’s dual focus on drug supply reduction and demand management. The operations fall under the umbrella of the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, which also saw sensitization campaigns in schools across Oyo, Ebonyi, Sokoto, Lagos, and advocacy visits to traditional rulers in Anambra State.