Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 42-year-old Indian woman, Ms. Neetu Neetu, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, with 72 parcels of heroin cleverly sealed in wafer wrappers and disguised as chocolates.
The intercepted Class A drug consignment, weighing a total of 11 kilograms, was discovered in Neetu’s luggage after a thorough search based on credible intelligence.
The seizure took place during the inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha, at the Kano airport’s arrival hall on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said:
“The attempt by drug cartels to use foreign nationals, including white ladies, as couriers of illicit substances is a desperate move we continue to foil with modern intelligence tools and proactive surveillance. This latest arrest underscores our commitment to safeguarding Nigerian borders from the infiltration of dangerous drugs.”
More Drug Seizures Across Kano and Lagos
In another major interception in Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested a 45-year-old suspect, Michael Ogundele, on Thursday, March 20, with a 50-litre steel gas cylinder at Gadar Tamburawa, along the Zaria-Kano road.
Based on intelligence reports, the cylinder was cut open using welding tools, revealing 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed inside.
Additionally, in the Gunduwawa area of Kano, a suspect, Sunday Ogar, 40, was apprehended on Wednesday, March 19, with 27kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.
On Tuesday, March 18, a female suspect, Khadijah Abdullahi, 40, was arrested in the Lungun Bulala Yalwa area with 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
Lagos also witnessed a wave of arrests linked to illicit drug operations. In Mushin, two suspects, Olumuyiwa Kolawole and Samod Adisa, were nabbed with 67.5kg of skunk, while another 100.8kg of the same substance was recovered from a storage facility belonging to two fleeing suspects in the Anifowoshe area.
Meanwhile, in Apapa, a suspect identified as Isah Idris was arrested on Tuesday, March 18, with 4.5kg of skunk, 600 grams of tramadol 225mg, and 30 litres of codeine syrup.
“We remain resolute in our fight against drug trafficking and abuse,” Marwa emphasized. “The arrests made in Kano and Lagos further demonstrate our unwavering commitment to dismantling drug syndicates operating within the country.”
In a separate operation in Ikotun, Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested a suspect, Yahaya Mohamed, found in possession of multiple hard drugs, including different quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
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