The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, says it has recorded a series of major drug interceptions across Nigeria’s international airports, including the arrest of a 63-year-old Chinese national for alleged drug trafficking.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, operatives arrested a Chinese woman identified as Ting Hung Kiong after she allegedly attempted to smuggle 31 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, into the country. The suspect, who is said to have naturalised in Malaysia, reportedly arrived in Nigeria via Thailand and the United Arab Emirates on an Emirates flight when she was intercepted at the Terminal 2 arrival hall.
Preliminary investigations indicate she travelled from Malaysia to Thailand, where she allegedly received two large suitcases containing the illicit substance before continuing her journey to Nigeria. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the suspect claimed she works as a caregiver and that her trip was sponsored by her daughter.
In a separate operation, the agency also uncovered a massive pharmaceutical trafficking attempt at the Lagos airport import shed. Following surveillance on a shipment from India, operatives, in collaboration with Customs, recovered 29 cartons containing over 1.8 million tablets of Tapentadol, valued at more than ₦2.19 billion.
Similar breakthroughs were recorded at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, where a passenger arriving from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa was arrested after excreting 185.36 grams of cocaine under observation.
In another case at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, a 29-year-old engineer was intercepted while attempting to travel to Italy. A search of his luggage uncovered over 10,000 tablets of opioids, including Tramadol and Tapentadol, concealed to evade detection.
The NDLEA says these coordinated operations underscore its intensified crackdown on international drug trafficking networks operating through Nigeria’s airports.
