Global Drug Web Smashed: NDLEA Arrests 63-Year-Old Chinese Smuggler and Seizes ₦2.19B Opioid Shipment

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a massive international narcotics syndicate, arresting a 63-year-old Chinese national, Ting Hung Kiong, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. Kiong, who has naturalized in Malaysia, was intercepted on Sunday, May 17, 2026, after arriving on an Emirates Airline flight from Thailand via Dubai.

NDLEA operatives discovered 31 kilograms of “Canadian Loud”—a highly potent, synthetic strain of cannabis—concealed inside two large travel boxes in her luggage. The suspect claimed she works as a caregiver and that her daughter sponsored her multi-city trip, which included a two-week stay in Thailand where she received the drug consignment for delivery in Nigeria.

Multi-Billion Naira Border Crackdown

The NDLEA’s targeted operations across Nigeria’s international airports and border points yielded several other massive seizures:

• ₦2.19 Billion Opioid Haul: At the Lagos airport import shed, officials intercepted 1,825,710 tablets of Tapentadol (250mg). The shipment arrived from India on an Emirates Cargo flight and was transferred to the NDLEA by the Nigeria Customs Service on Friday, May 22, 2026.

• The Cocaine Excretion: At the Enugu airport, a passenger arriving from Sierra Leone on Wednesday, May 20, was placed under observation and subsequently excreted 185.36 grams of cocaine.

• The Italy-Bound Engineer: A 29-year-old building engineer was arrested at the Abuja airport on Wednesday, May 21, trying to board a flight to Milan with 10,280 pills of Tramadol and Tapentadol wrapped in foil paper inside his suitcase.

• International Courier Busts: Outbound operations in Lagos intercepted Ecstasy hidden inside bicycle carriers bound for the Netherlands, alongside Tramadol packed into soap and body cream containers headed to the US and UK.

NDLEA intercepts Chinese grandma with large illicit drug consignment at Lagos airport

Massive Local Warehouses Raided

Nationwide sweeps also crippled local distribution networks. In Ikole-Ekiti, a raid on Saturday, May 23, uncovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk, leading to the arrest of a 54-year-old suspect. Simultaneously, operations in Edo State recovered 489 kilograms of skunk from the Igwe community, while border teams in Seme seized 59 kilograms from a Badagry warehouse.

NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa lauded the multi-command victories, reinforcing that the agency will continuously intensify both its tactical supply reduction operations and its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) school advocacy programs.

Written by Boom RadioNG