A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Jessica Ann, to 40 years in prison for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.
Ann was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after 14 large blocks of heroin were discovered concealed in two of her luggage.
According to NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the convict allegedly used her three-year-old son as a cover to evade thorough security screening.
The arrest was made on July 6, 2026, during the inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha to Abuja. Ann initially denied travelling with checked-in luggage, but NDLEA operatives established that two bags containing the drugs bore tags corresponding with claim tags attached to her passport.
She subsequently admitted ownership of the bags, claiming that she had forgotten she checked them in.
The agency said intelligence gathered after her arrest indicated that Ann was allegedly part of a transnational drug trafficking organisation operating along the Cambodia-South Africa axis, with her husband or partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager.
De Jager was subsequently arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27 while allegedly attempting to traffic 3.2 kilogrammes of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.
Ann was arraigned before Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy to import and importation of 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin in suit FHC/ABJ/CR/422/2026.
She pleaded guilty to both counts.
In his judgment delivered on Thursday, September 17, Justice Egwuatu sentenced her to 15 years imprisonment on the first count and 25 years on the second count, bringing the aggregate sentence to 40 years. The terms, however, will run concurrently.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), described the conviction as a demonstration of judicial support for the agency’s efforts to combat drug trafficking.
Marwa said the judgment would serve as a deterrent to international drug trafficking organisations seeking to exploit Nigeria as a transit or destination point for illicit drugs.
He stressed that the case reinforced NDLEA’s position that Nigeria would not provide a “soft landing” for international drug cartels, noting that the subsequent arrest of Ann’s alleged associate in South Africa highlighted the importance of intelligence-sharing and international cooperation.
According to him, the swift progression of the case from arrest to conviction also demonstrated the effectiveness of NDLEA’s interdiction operations and its collaboration with the Federal High Court.
Marwa further warned that the agency would intensify airport interdiction, intelligence-led operations and international partnerships aimed at dismantling transnational drug trafficking networks.
He added that anyone, irrespective of nationality, caught trafficking illicit drugs through Nigerian territory would face the full weight of the law.
