Busted! NDLEA Nabs Chinese National, 80-Year-Old Granny In Sh*cking Drug Raid

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a Chinese businessman, Liang Tak You, and an 80-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, among others, in a sweeping nationwide operation targeting illegal drug activities.

According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the arrests followed coordinated interdiction missions across multiple states, resulting in the seizure of several drug consignments including Colorado, a synthetic form of cannabis concealed in moimoi sachets, and Canadian Loud, another potent strain hidden in imported canned food items.

Liang, a Chinese national who is naturalized in Malaysia, was arrested on Friday, July 25th, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. Acting on intelligence, NDLEA operatives tracked his journey from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight. He was found with two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, weighing a total of 26.1kg.

In a separate incident, Mrs. Ekpeme was arrested in the Base Site area of Calabar South, Cross River State, on Saturday, July 26th, after NDLEA agents discovered over 3kg of skunk in her residence, following credible intelligence.

Other key operations included:

• July 23: Chidi Agbafo was caught on the Epe–Ajah expressway in Lagos with 21.7kg of Colorado disguised in moimoi sachets and 3.8 litres of codeine syrup, intended for delivery to Warri and Oghara in Delta State.

• Apapa Seaport, Lagos: Officials discovered 101kg of Canadian Loud in 202 tins of “Bean Salad Mix” during a joint search involving Customs and other agencies.

• Abuja-Kaduna Highway: NDLEA seized 71,000 pills of opioids (tramadol, diazepam, exol-5) from Usman Musa, who was heading to Kano in a commercial bus.

• Borno State: 30-year-old Binta Usman was arrested with 30.1kg of skunk, leading to the capture of her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, days later.

• Ondo State: A cannabis farm was raided in Idoani Forest, where three brothers – Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye – were arrested. The NDLEA destroyed 2,500kg of skunk and recovered another 121.4kg.

• Benin City, Edo State: Bright Sunday Okon (26) was apprehended in the Asakpa community with multiple strains of cannabis and methamphetamine.

• Nasarawa State: 105.4kg of skunk was found in an abandoned Honda vehicle.

• Minna, Niger State: Bashir Abdullahi was caught with 6,400 tramadol pills.

• Ifo, Ogun State: Notorious dealer Jamiu Omolaja was arrested after resisting NDLEA agents. 113kg of skunk was seized from his hideout.

• Gombe State: Adamu Adamu (a.k.a Dankyado) was caught with 10,910 capsules of tramadol on Gombe-Bajoga road.

• Kogi State: Operatives intercepted skunk disguised as garri and dried scent leaves on the Okene-Lokoja highway. A follow-up in Abuja led to the arrest of Kindness Bala (27), who intended to transport the drugs to Katsina and Qatar. Another bust in Ayingba, Kogi State, led to the seizure of 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine, and 700g of skunk hidden in a truck.

The NDLEA continues its aggressive push against drug trafficking, reaffirming its commitment to tackling narcotics smuggling and dismantling drug networks across Nigeria.