NDLEA Arrest Thai Lady At Lagos Airport; Intercepts UK-bound Drug Shipments [Photos]

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 24-year-old Thai woman, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat was arrested while attempting to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 46.60 kilograms, into Nigeria,

NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement to Naija News on Sunday.

Wimonnat, who admitted to being a hired drug courier, was caught on Thursday, February 20, 2025, during passenger clearance for a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha.

She revealed that the drug cartel responsible for her recruitment had promised her a payment of $3,000 upon successful delivery in Nigeria.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt to export 68 parcels of Ghanaian Loud, weighing 42.2 kilograms, to London. The drug consignment was concealed within crated cartons and was intercepted at the export shed of the Lagos airport on Friday, February 21. Three individuals, including a freight agent and two dispatch riders, were initially arrested. Further investigations led to the arrest of the shipment’s mastermind, Samuel Bitris, at his residence in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos.

At the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA officers intercepted 49 cartons containing 49,000 pills of Tamol, a brand of tramadol (225mg), inside a 40-foot container. The seizure was made on February 20 during a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.

Elsewhere, in Nasarawa State, operatives arrested two suspects, Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42, at Kokona/Keffi with 517 kilograms of skunk on Saturday, February 22. In Niger State, two other suspects, Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45, were apprehended in a Toyota Corolla transporting 62.7 kilograms of skunk along Sabon Asibiti Road, Kontagora, on February 20.

Meanwhile, NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns across the country. Recent outreach efforts targeted schools, religious centers, workplaces, and communities.

Notable activities included sensitization lectures at Maku Grammar School in Oyo State, Comprehensive Secondary School in Imo State, Jama’atu Islamiyya Secondary School in Kogi State, and Owerri-Aba Primary School in Imo State.

Commending the efforts of officers across various commands, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their commitment to tackling drug trafficking and abuse.

He highlighted the agency’s dual approach of drug supply reduction and demand reduction as critical in the ongoing fight against drug-related crimes.

See photos from various operations below: