Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
What appeared to be an ordinary arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, quickly turned into a major drug bust after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a 63-year-old Chinese grandmother allegedly attempting to smuggle a large consignment of synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.
The suspect, identified as Ting Hung Kiong, a Chinese national reportedly naturalised in Malaysia, was arrested on Sunday, May 17, 2026, shortly after arriving in Lagos from Thailand via Dubai aboard an Emirates Airline flight.
According to a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall intercepted the elderly woman after discovering two large travel boxes loaded with 31 kilograms of “Canadian Loud,” a potent synthetic strain of cannabis highly sought after in the illegal drug market.
Investigations revealed that Ting travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before heading to Nigeria through the United Arab Emirates. Authorities said the illicit drug consignment was handed over to her at an airport in Thailand for delivery in Nigeria.
During interrogation, the suspect claimed she works as a caregiver in Malaysia and disclosed that her daughter sponsored her trip from Malaysia to Thailand and onward to Nigeria.
She further admitted spending two weeks in Thailand before she was allegedly handed the drugs for trafficking.
In another significant operation, the NDLEA also uncovered a massive shipment of illicit opioids at the import shed of the Lagos airport.
According to the agency, operatives had closely monitored the consignment since its arrival from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight. The Nigeria Customs Service eventually handed over the shipment to the NDLEA on Friday, May 22, 2026.
The seizure included 29 large cartons containing a staggering 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, a powerful opioid with an estimated street value of over N2.19 billion.
The twin seizures underscore the NDLEA’s intensified crackdown on international drug trafficking networks and highlight the agency’s growing vigilance in protecting the country from the devastating impact of illicit drugs and opioid abuse.