NDLEA Arrests Chinese Man, 80-Year-Old Grandma In Drug Busts, Intercepts Cannabis In Moimoi Packs

Liang Tak You, a Chinese businessman, and an 80-year-old woman, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, are among several suspects apprehended during recent nationwide raids conducted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The operations led to the seizure of large consignments of illicit drugs, including Colorado — a synthetic variant of cannabis — concealed in moimoi sachets, and Canadian Loud, another potent strain of cannabis hidden in canned food items imported from Canada.

Liang was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, July 25, 2025. According to the NDLEA, the arrest was made following actionable intelligence and coordinated surveillance.

The suspect, a naturalised Malaysian of Chinese origin, had arrived in Nigeria from Bangkok, Thailand, via Dubai on an Emirates Airlines flight.

Investigations revealed that Liang had travelled from Malaysia to Thailand to pick up two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud cannabis, weighing a total of 26.10 kilogrammes, which he attempted to smuggle into Nigeria.

A statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy said the agency’s operatives, who had been monitoring his movements since his point of departure, allowed him to go through immigration and other airport protocols before apprehending him outside the terminal.

In a separate operation, NDLEA officers in Cross River State arrested 80-year-old Mrs. Grace Ekpeme at her residence on Edet-Nsa Street, Base Site, Calabar South. She was found in possession of over three kilograms of skunk in the early hours of Saturday, July 26, following a tip-off about her involvement in drug trafficking.

Interception on Epe-Ajah Expressway

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, July 23, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted a suspect, Chidi Agbafo, along the Epe-Ajah Expressway. He was caught transporting 21.7 kilograms of Colorado cannabis — portions of which were disguised in moimoi sachets — as well as 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup. He was travelling in a commercial bus and was reportedly on his way to deliver the drugs in Warri and Oghara, Delta State.

The NDLEA has vowed to intensify efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country.

The statement said, “At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, a total of 101kg Canadian Loud factory packed in 202 tins of imported food item labelled ‘Bean Salad Mix’ and concealed in two Toyota Sienna buses in a container that came from Canada, were recovered. The discovery was made during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies on Friday, 25th July.

“No fewer than 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 were recovered from Usman Musa by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja- Kaduna highway on Wednesday, 23rd July, when the suspect was travelling with the consignment of opioids in a commercial bus going to Kano.”

The agency said it also made several arrests and seizures across multiple states in its continued clampdown on drug trafficking and abuse. The latest operations, conducted between July 21 and 26, 2025, led to the arrest of suspects in Borno, Ondo, Edo, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, and Kogi states, with large quantities of illicit drugs confiscated.

In Borno State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 30-year-old woman, Binta Usman, on Wednesday, July 23, following the discovery of 30.1 kilogrammes of skunk at her residence in the Muna Moforo area of Maiduguri. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of her alleged accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, in the same area on Friday, July 25.

In Ondo State, a raid on a cannabis plantation in Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, Ose Local Government Area, led to the arrest of three brothers — Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye — on Saturday, July 26. NDLEA operatives destroyed 2,500 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on one hectare of land and recovered an additional 121.4 kilograms of processed skunk.

In Edo State, a 26-year-old woman, Bright Sunday Okon, was arrested on Wednesday, July 23, during a raid in the Asakpa community of Benin City. Officers recovered various strains of cannabis, including Colorado, Loud, Arizona, and skunk, as well as methamphetamine.