NDLEA Arrests American Basketball Player With 34kg Cannabis At Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an American professional basketball player over a 33.95-kilogramme shipment of cannabis, popularly known as Loud, allegedly imported from Thailand through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The 28-year-old American was arrested on Wednesday, November 11, after allegedly abandoning two checked-in bags containing the illicit substance before attempting to leave the airport with only his hand luggage.

In a statement on Sunday, the NDLEA said the suspect arrived in Lagos aboard an Emirates flight from Thailand through Dubai. Operatives, acting on credible intelligence, reportedly placed him under discreet surveillance and observed him abandoning the two bags before attempting to exit the airport. He was subsequently arrested at the airport car park after the bags, which bore his name tags, were searched.

The search revealed 32 parcels of Loud weighing 33.95kg. A tracking device was also recovered from the luggage. The suspect, a native of Savannah, Georgia, told investigators that he had lived in Thailand since October 2025, where he played professional basketball, and had travelled to Nigeria on holiday to build networks for his career. The agency said a forensic examination of his mobile phone revealed information suggesting his knowledge of and involvement in the alleged drug trafficking operation.

Meth Concealed In Cereal Packs In a separate operation at the same airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 25.05kg of methamphetamine concealed in packs of assorted breakfast cereals imported from South Africa. The 56-year-old Nigerian suspect was arrested on November 11 upon his return from South Africa, where he had reportedly lived for more than 24 years.

A search of his two travelling boxes at the airport’s Terminal II arrival hall led to the discovery of 25 parcels of a white crystalline substance, weighing 25.05kg, hidden inside packs of breakfast cereals and cereal-based food products. According to the agency, the suspect allegedly admitted during preliminary interrogation that he had adopted a pseudonym after using forged documents to gain entry into South Africa.

He also claimed that a South Africa-based man contracted him to deliver the consignment in Nigeria for 20,000 South African rands. Raids Across States The airport interceptions formed part of a series of operations across Lagos, Kaduna, Ondo, Delta, Edo and Osun states, resulting in several arrests and seizures of illicit drugs and firearms. In Lagos, operatives recovered 119.71kg of cannabis from a 33-year-old man during an operation at Ebute Metta on November 10.

A separate operation in Ajah on November 14 led to the recovery of cannabis, codeine syrup, Rohypnol, tramadol, pregabalin and nitrous oxide from an abandoned Toyota Sienna. In Kaduna, operatives uncovered an illegal firearms manufacturing factory at Sabon Garin Kangin and arrested a 45-year-old man. Seventeen locally made Dane guns, two pistols, 25 Dane gun pipes and other manufacturing materials were recovered.

The agency also arrested a woman conveying 196 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and ₦675,000 along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway. Other operations in the state led to the seizure of 499.3kg of cannabis and 3,840 tramadol tablets. In Ondo State, 560kg of cannabis was recovered from a store after two suspects were arrested at Olabi village, while another 122kg was seized during a raid on a cannabis farm in Ipele Forest.

In Delta State, operatives arrested a 43-year-old woman at Alihame, Agbor, with 255.67kg of cannabis and 1.5kg of cannabis seeds. Another suspect was arrested in Ughelli South with cannabis, codeine syrup, tramadol and other illicit substances. In Osun State, NDLEA operatives arrested three suspects during operations at Owena Forest Reserve, recovering dried and fresh cannabis.

They also destroyed a cannabis farm estimated to contain 2,137.5kg of the plant. Meanwhile, in Edo State, a raid at Jamila Street, Ikpoba Hill, Benin City, led to the arrest of a 39-year-old woman, with 14kg of Loud, 65g of Colorado and 73g of methamphetamine recovered. Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised their vigilance and professionalism.

He said the interception of methamphetamine concealed in cereal packs demonstrated that traffickers’ concealment methods could not defeat the agency’s determination. Marwa also described the discovery of the illegal firearms factory in Kaduna as an indication of the link between illicit drugs and violent crime, urging officers to sustain efforts to reduce both drug supply and demand.