A 41-year-old Canadian national, Adrienne Munju, has admitted to smuggling a large consignment of synthetic cannabis into Nigeria to finance her Master’s degree program in Canada. Munju was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, upon arrival on a KLM Airline flight from Canada on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
She was arrested upon arrival on a KLM Airline flight from Canada, carrying a large consignment of a potent strain of synthetic cannabis known as ‘Canadian Loud’. The drugs were discovered during routine passenger checks at the airport.
In a statement released by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, Munju revealed her motive for trafficking the drugs.
“I was recruited through an online platform to smuggle the consignment for 10,000 Canadian dollars,” she admitted. “I desperately needed the money to pay my MSc fees. That was the only way I could keep up with my tuition and living expenses.”
Babafemi further disclosed that 74 parcels of the illicit substance, weighing 35.20 kilograms, were found stashed in two of Munju’s three bags during a joint examination.
In a separate operation in Rivers State, Babafemi reported that NDLEA operatives seized over 13 million opioid pills and 338,253 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over N9 billion at the Port Harcourt Ports in Onne. He noted, “The illicit cargo, which arrived from India, was intercepted following a 100% examination by the NDLEA, the Nigerian Customs Service, and other stakeholders on October 2 and 3.”
Similarly, in Lagos, NDLEA officers uncovered 50 kilograms of Canadian Loud concealed in 100 parcels at the Tin Can Seaport. According to Babafemi, the consignment was hidden in a container along with four imported vehicles from Canada. “The drugs were found inside one of the vehicles, a Toyota Sienna bus, which had been traced to a warehouse in Ikorodu,” he added. A suspect, identified as Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim, was arrested in connection with the Lagos operation.
The crackdown extended to Taraba State, where NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus en route from Onitsha, Anambra State to Jalingo, Taraba, on October 3. A total of 80 blocks of cannabis, weighing 38kg, were discovered hidden in bags of garri.
Babafemi said, “Two suspects, Pako Thomas and Emmanuel Anyigor, were arrested in connection with the cannabis haul. Another suspect, Chibuzor Okafor, was later nabbed with an additional 80 blocks of cannabis in Wukari.”
Operations in Edo and Ondo
Babafemi also highlighted the destruction of two large cannabis farms spanning over three hectares at Bridge Camp, a boundary between Edo and Ondo states. “We destroyed over 9,966 kilograms of cannabis from the farms, while 48 kilograms of already processed cannabis were recovered,” he stated.
During these operations, the NDLEA also seized 700 litres of “skuchies”—a dangerous cocktail of Chapman and illicit drugs—from three suspects identified as Ezekiel Akpele, Elijah Michael, and Goddard John.
Babafemi reiterated the agency’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and illicit substances in Nigeria. “The NDLEA remains vigilant in safeguarding our ports, borders, and communities from the menace of drug smuggling. We will continue to track and dismantle drug syndicates wherever they operate,” he vowed. GMTNewsng
