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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an American professional basketball player after discovering 32 parcels of a potent cannabis strain known as Loud in his luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The 28-year-old American was apprehended on Wednesday after arriving in Lagos from Thailand through Dubai aboard an Emirates Airline flight.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
According to Babafemi, the suspect attracted the attention of operatives who had placed him under discreet surveillance after he allegedly abandoned two checked-in bags and attempted to leave the airport with only his carry-on luggage.
He said, “He was promptly apprehended at the airport car park.
“A search of the two abandoned bags, both bearing his name tag, revealed sixteen parcels of Loud in each, totalling thirty-two parcels with a combined weight of 33.95 kilograms.
“A tracking device was also recovered from the bags.”
Babafemi identified the suspect as a native of Savannah, Georgia, United States, and said he claimed to have lived in Thailand since October 2025, where he plays professional basketball.
The NDLEA spokesman added that the suspect explained that his visit to Nigeria was for a holiday and to establish contacts that could advance his basketball career.
He said, “The suspect said he came to Nigeria on holiday to build networks for his basketball career.”
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However, a forensic examination of the suspect’s mobile phone reportedly uncovered information indicating his knowledge of and involvement in the drug trafficking operation
In a separate operation at the same airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 25.05 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in imported breakfast cereal products.
The agency arrested a 56-year-old Nigerian man who arrived from South Africa on Wednesday. The drugs were discovered in his two travelling boxes during a search at the arrival hall of Terminal II.
Babafemi said the 25 parcels of methamphetamine had been hidden inside assorted breakfast cereal packs and cereal-based food products to evade security checks.
He said, “A thorough search of his two travelling boxes led to the recovery of twenty-five parcels of a white crystalline substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine with a total weight of 25.05kg.
“The parcels had been carefully concealed inside packs of assorted breakfast cereals and cereal-based food products in a bid to beat security screening.
“The 56-year-old suspect holds both Nigerian and South African passports and has been resident in South Africa for over 24 years.”
According to the NDLEA spokesman, the suspect admitted during preliminary questioning that he had adopted a false Nigerian identity after using forged documents to enter South Africa.
Babafemi said the suspect also disclosed that he was recruited by a man based in South Africa to transport the drugs to Nigeria for payment.
He said, “He further stated that he was contracted by a South Africa-based man to deliver the illicit consignment in Nigeria for a fee of R20,000.”
