The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria while travelling with her three-year-old son, whom investigators said she used to deflect suspicion.
The agency also announced the seizure of 4,143.5 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a highly potent strain of cannabis valued at over N10.3 billion, at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, as well as the arrest of a suspected drug courier who excreted 100 wraps of methamphetamine after arriving at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the operations in a statement issued on Sunday, describing them as major breakthroughs in the agency’s ongoing offensive against transnational drug trafficking.
According to Babafemi, the South African suspect, identified as Jessica Ann Will, was arrested on July 6 during the clearance of passengers arriving aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha.
He said the suspect initially denied travelling with any checked baggage, but investigations revealed that two suitcases containing 14 large parcels of heroin carried baggage tags corresponding to those attached to her passport.
Babafemi said the suspect later admitted ownership of the luggage, claiming she had forgotten she checked in the bags before boarding the flight.
Preliminary investigations, according to the agency, showed that the suspect travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja and is believed to be linked to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate allegedly operated with her husband or partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, along the Cambodia-South Africa trafficking route.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, NDLEA operatives arrested 48-year-old Onyechere Chinadu, a commercial motorcycle rider from Lagos, after he arrived from Madagascar via Addis Ababa on June 28.
The agency said a search of his backpack led to the recovery of 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed inside clothing.
During interrogation, Chinadu reportedly told investigators that he had worked as a commercial motorcyclist in Lagos for 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by an associate based in Uganda.
He further claimed that he swallowed additional drug pellets in Uganda before travelling to Madagascar but was denied entry by immigration authorities. According to him, his sponsor subsequently redirected him to Lagos, where he was arrested.
Unable to state the exact quantity of drugs he had ingested, the suspect was placed under medical observation. Over the next three days, he excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilogrammes.
At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA operatives, working jointly with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a container imported from Canada containing 8,287 nylon bags of Canadian Loud weighing 4,143.5 kilogrammes.
The agency said the seizure followed weeks of intelligence-led surveillance by its Maritime Intelligence Unit, which tracked the shipment from Montreal to Lagos. The illicit consignment is estimated to have a street value exceeding N10.3 billion.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a courier company in Lagos.
Beyond enforcement activities, Babafemi said the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign nationwide, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Ebonyi, Kano, Ekiti and Ogun states. He added that officials of the agency’s Zone 14 Command also paid an advocacy visit to Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Commending officers involved in the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the agency’s sustained efforts in disrupting drug trafficking networks and reducing the supply of illicit drugs across the country.
Marwa also urged officers and personnel nationwide to remain resolute in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse while sustaining public enlightenment campaigns aimed at preventing drug use.
