Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, a 24-year-old Thai native, was caught by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) while attempting to import 43 boxes of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 46.60 kg, into Nigeria.
Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, confirmed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
The statement read: “An attempt by a 24-year-old Thai woman, Ms. Pattaphi Wimonnat, to smuggle 43 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 46.60 kilograms, into Nigeria through Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, has been thwarted by NDLEA operatives, who arrested her after discovering the illicit consignment in her luggage.
“The suspect, who confessed to being a hired drug trafficker, was arrested on Thursday, February 20, 2025, during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand via Doha, Qatar, at the arrival hall of Terminal 2 at Lagos airport. She said the drug cartel that recruited her promised to pay her $3,000 upon successful delivery of the illicit consignment in Nigeria.”
In another investigation, NDLEA police reportedly intercepted 68 boxes of Ghanaian Loud intended for shipment to London, United Kingdom.
The contraband, measuring 42.2 kilograms, was hidden within the walls of crated cartons in the Lagos airport’s export facility.
“Three suspects—a freight agent and two dispatch riders—were initially arrested in connection with the seizure before the mastermind of the shipment, Samuel Bitris, was swiftly traced to his home in Exodus Estate, Ajah, Lagos, where he was arrested,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, February 20, NDLEA officers apprehended 49 cartons carrying 49,000 pills of Tamol, a tramadol brand, during a joint examination at the Port Harcourt Port Complex.
The cargo, containing 225 mg tramadol pills, was discovered in a 40-foot container during a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
Babafemi also stated that in another drug operation in Nasarawa State, NDLEA agents apprehended two suspects—Bello Adamu, 40, and Pius Azuka, 42—at Kokona/Keffi on Saturday, February 22, with 517 kilograms of skunk.
On Thursday, February 20, two suspects, Usman Ruwa, 43, and Yunusa Haruna, 45, were detained on Sabon Asibiti Road in the Kontagora region of Niger State with 62.7 kilograms of skunk smuggled in a Toyota Corolla.
In a statement, NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the officers engaged in the seizures, adding that their operational successes, particularly their balanced approach to both drug supply and demand reduction initiatives, were greatly appreciated.
