Centenarian allegedly sold cannabis after fire destroyed her shop as agency uncovers Thailand-Nigeria drug route and N4.4bn consignment.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 101-year-old woman for allegedly selling cannabis in Ilisan, Ogun State, while intercepting more than 1.49 tonnes of cannabis indica, popularly known as “Loud,” at two Lagos ports.
The centenarian was arrested on August 15 with 90 grammes of skunk, which the agency said she admitted selling in small quantities to local customers.
According to the NDLEA, the woman told investigators that she turned to the illicit drug trade after a fire destroyed her provisions shop. She allegedly said her daughter, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis every four days for onward distribution.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that the 101-year-old suspect be granted bail and subjected to counselling because of her advanced age. Her daughter was subsequently arrested over her alleged involvement in the drug trade.
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon and arrested three suspects.
The operation yielded 42.622kg of narcotics, including 42.06kg of skunk and 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu.
The agency also announced the seizure of more than 1.49 tonnes of cannabis indica from two containers at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
At Apapa Port, operatives discovered 1,090.5kg of the substance in a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries. Another 400kg was recovered from a second container at the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
The NDLEA valued the combined consignments at more than N4.4 billion and said both containers originated from Thailand, suggesting the emergence of a new maritime route being exploited by drug syndicates.
The agency said its operatives also recovered methamphetamine, skunk, opioids and other illicit substances during intelligence-led operations across Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and the Federal Capital Territory.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests and seizures in a statement issued on Sunday.
The agency said the latest operations demonstrated the increasingly sophisticated methods used by drug traffickers, including concealing cocaine in food items and disguising large consignments of cannabis as legitimate imported goods.