Nigeria arrests US basketball player with cannabis haul

Nigeria's anti-narcotics agency announced on Sunday that they had apprehended a US professional basketball player, Greene DaMonte Khiree, 28, with a substantial amount of cannabis concealed in his luggage upon arrival at the country's primary airport. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) identified the player as Greene DaMonte Khiree, hailing from the US state of Georgia.

The arrest took place on Wednesday at the main international airport carpark in Lagos, following Greene's attempt to exit the airport while abandoning his two checked-in bags in favor of carrying only his carry-on luggage, as reported by the NDLEA. The bags, which bore his name tags, were discovered to be packed with 16 packs of a potent strain of cannabis, according to the agency.

Greene had arrived in Lagos from Thailand, where he claimed to have lived and pursued a professional basketball career since October 2025, the NDLEA revealed. The agency noted that Greene's claims of visiting Nigeria to establish networks for his basketball career did not withstand scrutiny, as examination of his mobile phone unearthed information suggesting his involvement in drug trafficking activities.

FIBA, the international basketball federation, lists a player by the name DaMonte Greene, a point guard, whose recent appearance was at the Phuket Elite Cup in September. Nigeria has been recognized as a hub for drug trafficking and production, supplying drugs to other nations. However, researchers caution that the contraband often infiltrates local markets.

Recent seizures of large-scale methamphetamine production labs have raised concerns among authorities that Mexican cartels are establishing connections in Nigeria to produce and export methamphetamine out of the country.