The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has confirmed the arrest of a 42-year-old Indian woman, Neetu Neetu, allegedly with 72 parcels of heroin packaged as chocolates at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
The Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the illicit drugs weighing 11kg, was allegedly seized from the suspect’s luggage after a search at the arrival hall of the airport.
According to Babafemi, operatives of the agency, acting on processed credible intelligence, nabbed Neetu during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand, via Vietnam and Doha at the arrival hall of Kano airport on Friday, 14th March 2025.
“NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has highlighted a disturbing trend of drug cartels hiring foreign nationals, including white women, to traffic illicit substances through Nigerian borders,” the statement said.
“This growing tactic by drug trafficking organisations has consistently been frustrated by our vigilant officers with the aid of modern technological tools and proactive intelligence,” Babafemi stated, quoting Marwa.
In other operations carried out by the NDLEA, Babafemi said:
“In another successful operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested a 45-year-old suspect, Michael Ogundele, on Thursday, with a 50-litre steel gas cylinder at Gadar Tamburawa, along the Zaria-Kano road.
“After welding tools were used to cut open the cylinder, officers discovered and extracted 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed inside.
“Similarly, in Gunduwawa, Kano, officers arrested a 40-year-old suspect, Sunday Ogar, on Wednesday, with 27kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.
“A female suspect, Khadijah Abdullahi, 40, was also apprehended at Lungun Bulala Yalwa on Tuesday in possession of 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
“In Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested Olumuyiwa Kolawole and Samod Adisa in Mushin with 67.5kg of skunk, while an additional 100.8kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered from the store of two fleeing suspects in Anifowoshe, Mushin.
“Another suspect, Isah Idris, was arrested in Apapa on Tuesday,with 4.5kg of skunk, 600 grams of tramadol 225mg, and 30 litres of codeine syrup.
“That same day, Yahaya Mohamed was apprehended in Ikotun with different quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.”