Video: NDLEA seizes colorado hidden in moimoi sachets, nabbed Chinese businessman, 80-year-old grandma
Abdullateef Fowewe
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese businessman, Liang Tak You, and an 80-year-old woman, Grace Ekpeme, in a series of nationwide interdiction operations that led to significant drug seizures.
The agency revealed these arrests in a statement on Sunday by it spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
Liang Tak You was apprehended on Friday, July 25, at the arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, following actionable intelligence.
Liang, a Chinese national naturalised and residing in Malaysia, arrived from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight. Intelligence tracked Liang’s movements from his port of departure; he had collected two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic cannabis, weighing 26.10kg.
NDLEA operatives allowed him to clear airport protocols before arresting him as he was leaving the airport.
In a separate operation, Grace Ekpeme, an octogenarian, was arrested early Saturday, July 26, at her residence in Edet-Nsa Street, Base Site, Calabar South, Cross River State.
She was found in possession of over 3kg of skunk cannabis following intelligence on her drug trafficking activities.
The NDLEA also intercepted consignments of Colorado, another synthetic cannabis strain, hidden in moimoi sachets—a traditional Nigerian steamed bean pudding packaging—alongside 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup in Lagos on July 23.
These operations highlight the sophisticated concealment methods traffickers use, including packaged local foods and imported canned food items.
The NDLEA spokesperson emphasises, “The suspect, who arrived in Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates Airlines flight, is a Chinese national, naturalised and based in Malaysia. He reportedly travelled to Thailand to pick up two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, weighing 26.10kg, before flying to Nigeria” and “the octogenarian, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, was arrested with over 3kg of skunk following intelligence reports on her drug trafficking activities”.
