Chinese Woman Arrested with Drugs at Lagos Airport

On Sunday, May 17, 2026, a 63-year-old Chinese woman was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos after arriving from Thailand via Dubai, UAE, aboard an Emirates Airlines flight. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, reported that the suspect was found with two large travel boxes containing 31 kilograms of synthetic cannabis.

During interrogation, she claimed to have worked as a caregiver in Malaysia and stated that her daughter sponsored her trip. The NDLEA also reported the interception of a major drug shipment at Lagos Airport, which included 1,825,710 tablets of tapentadol worth over two billion naira.

Additionally, on May 20, 2026, NDLEA operatives at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu arrested Onyeka Valentin Emeka, who was found with 185.36 grams of cocaine. Other arrests included Babatunde Prosper Afekhid, who attempted to board a flight with concealed opioids, and Isah Sani, who was apprehended with 196,000 pills of exol-5 in Kano State.