NDLEA Cracks Down On Drug Trafficking, Arrests Canadian Woman, Seizes N9bn Worth Of Opioids

Lagos, Nigeria –  A 41-year-old Canadian woman, Adrienne Munju, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for attempting to import a large consignment of “Canadian Loud,” a potent synthetic cannabis, into Nigeria.

Munju, who was travelling from Canada on a KLM flight, was apprehended during routine passenger clearance on Thursday.

Upon examination of her three bags, officers discovered 74 parcels of the illicit substance, weighing a total of 35.2 kilograms, hidden within two of the bags.

Munju, who claimed she was visiting Nigeria for the first time, confessed to being recruited online to traffic the drugs for a fee of 10,000 Canadian dollars, which was to be paid upon successful delivery in Lagos.

She cited her need for financial assistance to fund her master’s degree programme as her motivation for accepting the offer.

This arrest comes amidst a series of major drug busts by NDLEA operatives across the country.

In a separate operation, the agency seized over N9 billion worth of opioids, including Tramadol, Tramaking Quick Action Tramadol, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol, at the Port Harcourt Ports, Onne, Rivers State.

The seized drugs were concealed within three containers that had arrived from India.

During a joint examination with Nigerian Customs officials and other port stakeholders, NDLEA operatives identified the containers as suspicious and subsequently uncovered the massive haul of opioids, totalling 13,298,000 pills and 338 253 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.

In another operation at the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted 100 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 50 kilograms.

The drugs were cleverly concealed within a container containing four imported vehicles, including a Toyota Sienna bus, which had arrived from Canada.

The container had initially been cleared from the ESS Libra Bonded Terminal in Ikorodu, but through intelligence gathering, NDLEA agents traced the consignment to a warehouse in Ikorodu.

The illicit drugs were discovered hidden within the imported Toyota Sienna bus. One suspect, Abubakar Ibrahim, has been arrested in connection with this seizure.

These significant seizures highlight the NDLEA’s relentless efforts to combat drug trafficking in Nigeria.

The agency has also been active in conducting awareness campaigns aimed at tackling drug abuse, reaching out to schools, religious institutions, workplaces, and communities nationwide.

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, and Taraba commands for their operational successes.

He expressed his appreciation for their dedication to both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction initiatives.