NDLEA Nabs Chinese National, 80-Year-Old Grandma in Major Drug Bust

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese businessman, Liang Tak You, alongside an 80-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, and several others for drug trafficking in a sweeping nationwide operation.

Liang Tak You was apprehended on Friday, July 25, 2025, at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. According to the NDLEA, operative tracking and actionable intelligence led to his arrest after he arrived in Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai with two suitcases containing 50 parcels of “Loud,” a potent synthetic cannabis strain. The drugs, weighing a total of 26.10kg, were concealed as he passed through airport protocols and were intercepted on his exit from the airport.

In a separate operation, octogenarian Mrs. Grace Ekpeme was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, July 26, at her residence on Edet-Nsa Street, Base Site, Calabar South, Cross River State. NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence reports about her activities, found over 3kg of skunk in her possession.

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Further actions by the agency included:

• Interception of 21.7kg of Colorado (synthetic cannabis) and 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup disguised in moimoi sachets and a commercial bus along Epe–Ajah Expressway, Lagos, destined for Delta State.
• A joint security operation at Apapa seaport in Lagos led to the discovery of 101kg of “Canadian Loud,” a premium strain of cannabis, packed in 202 tins labelled “Bean Salad Mix” and hidden in imported vehicles within a container from Canada.
• Along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, operatives arrested a suspect, Usman Musa, in possession of 71,000 pills of various opioids, including tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5, while en route to Kano.

In Ogun State, the NDLEA also captured a notorious drug dealer, Jamiu Omolaja, and seized 113kg of skunk at his hideout in Ifo, demonstrating the agency’s reach across Nigeria.

NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, emphasized the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug distribution networks and commended the collaboration with customs and other security agencies.