LAGOS — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 63-year-old Chinese national, Ting Hung Kiong, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) for attempting to traffic 31 kilograms of “Canadian Loud”—a potent synthetic strain of cannabis—into Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Kiong, who has naturalized in Malaysia, was intercepted on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at the Terminal 2 arrival hall following her arrival on an Emirates Airline flight from Thailand via Dubai.

The Transit Route and Cover Story

Intelligence reports indicate that Kiong’s multi-nation route began in Malaysia, moved through Thailand, and routed via the United Arab Emirates before landing in Lagos with two large suitcases packed with the synthetic narcotics.

Suspect Profile & Claims:

• Name / Age: Ting Hung Kiong, 63

• Nationality: Chinese (Naturalized in Malaysia)

• Stated Profession: Caregiver

• Defense Claim: Kiong alleged her daughter financed her travel from Malaysia to Thailand and Nigeria. She claimed that after a two-week stay in Thailand, an associate handed her the suitcases at the airport to deliver to a contact in Nigeria.

Nationwide Crackdown: Billions in Contraband Seized

The NDLEA also executed several high-profile interdictions across major international hubs and regional border posts over the past week:

1. Multi-Billion Naira Pharmaceutical Bust at MMIA

In a coordinated follow-up operation at the Lagos airport, operatives took custody of a massive shipment of Tapentadol tablets imported from India. The cargo arrived via an Emirates Cargo flight and was formally handed over by the Nigeria Customs Service on Friday, May 22, 2026.

• Seizure: 29 cartons containing 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol (250mg).

• Estimated Street Value: $\text{N}2,190,852,000$ (over 2.1 billion Naira).

2. Airport Interceptions in Abuja and Enugu

• Enugu (Akanu Ibiam International Airport): Operatives detained Onyeka Valentine Emeka after he arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa. While under specialized medical observation, the suspect excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine.

• Abuja (Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport): Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, a 29-year-old building engineer, was arrested before boarding an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan, Italy. A thorough baggage search uncovered 10,280 pills of mixed illicit pharmaceuticals (Tramaking, Tramadol, and Tapentadol) hidden inside a cardboard carton within his suitcase.

3. International Courier Interceptions

Raids at a logistics and courier firm in Lagos intercepted several outbound shipments destined for Western nations:

• To the Netherlands: 1,174 MDMA (Ecstasy) pills concealed inside a bicycle luggage carrier.

• To the United States: 66 Tramadol tablets hidden inside commercial soap containers.

• To the United Kingdom: 18 Tramadol tablets packed inside body cream jars.

4. Regional Invasions and Cultivation Raids

• Ekiti State: A tactical raid on a storage facility in Ikole-Ekiti yielded 1,116kg of skunk. A 54-year-old suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, was taken into custody.

• Edo State: Operatives cleared an illegal hub in the Igwe community, Owan East LGA, recovering 489kg of skunk (packed across 59 jumbo bags) alongside 9kg of raw cannabis seeds.

• Kano State: Along the Zaria-Kano highway, 30-year-old Isah Sani was intercepted transporting 196,000 pills of Exol-5.

• Seme Border: Border patrol personnel uncovered 59kg of skunk during a targeted sweep of a warehouse located in Mowo, Badagry.

Command Commendation

Reacting to the sweeping successes, NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa highly commended the operational teams across the Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Edo, Ekiti, Kano, and Seme border commands.

Marwa directed all state and special commands to maintain their aggressive enforcement postures while simultaneously intensifying the agency’s grassroots “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) public enlightenment programs across educational institutions, workplaces, and local communities.