The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese businessman and an 80-year-old grandma for drug trafficking.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that both suspects top the list of arrests made by operatives of the NDLEA in nationwide interdiction operations

He said this led to the seizure of consignments of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis hidden in moimoi sachets and Canadian Loud, another strong strain of cannabis concealed in canned food items imported from Canada.

Mr Babafemi said the Chinese suspect was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, July 25, based on actionable intelligence.

He said the suspect, who arrived in Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai, UAE, on an Emirates Airline flight, was a Chinese national, naturalised and based in Malaysia.

Mr Babafemi added that he flew to Thailand, where he picked up two suitcases filled with 50 parcels of Loud weighing 26.10kg before heading to Nigeria via the UAE.

“Upon his arrival at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives who were tracking his movement from his port of departure allowed him to pass through the necessary protocols before picking him up on his way out of the airport.

“The octogenarian grandma was arrested at Edet-Nsa street, Base Site, Calabar South, Cross River state, with over 3kg of skunk in the early hours of Saturday, July 26.

“This followed intelligence on her drug-dealing activities,” he said.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, July 23, intercepted a suspect along the Epe–Ajah expressway while taking consignments of 21.7kg of Colorado.

Mr Babafemi said some of the drugs were packaged in moimoi cooking sachets.

He said the NDLEA operatives recovered 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup in a commercial bus to deliver in Warri and Oghara, Delta state.

Mr Babafemi said NDLEA also recovered 101kg of Canadian Loud factory packed in 202 tins of imported food items labelled ‘Bean Salad Mix’ at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.

He said the drugs were concealed in two Toyota Sienna buses in a container that came from Canada.

“The discovery was made during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service, and other security agencies on Friday, July 25,” he said.

The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.

“Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Komu/Babaode High School, Babaode, Itesiwaju LGA, Oyo state; Beacon Christian Academy, Ngodo, Afikpo LGA, Ebonyi.

“Others include Government Day Secondary School, Araba, Illela, Sokoto, and Government Junior College, Agege, Lagos.

“The Anambra state command of NDLEA paid WADA advocacy visits to the traditional rulers of Awka community, Obi Gibson Nwosu, Ezeuzu 11 and Ukpo community, Igwe Robert Eze, Okofia VI, among others,” Mr Babafemi stated. 

(NAN)