The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Jessica Ann, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja. According to the agency, the NDLEA heroin arrest took place on Monday, July 6, 2026, during the arrival screening of passengers aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha.
Investigators said the suspect initially denied travelling with any checked baggage. However, NDLEA operatives traced two suitcases containing 14 large parcels of heroin using baggage tags that matched the claim tags attached to her passport. After the discovery, the woman reportedly admitted ownership of the luggage, explaining that she had forgotten she checked in the bags before boarding the flight.
The agency said preliminary investigations revealed that she travelled from Cambodia through Doha before arriving in Abuja. According to NDLEA, intelligence indicates that the suspect allegedly belongs to a transnational drug trafficking network operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route alongside her husband and suspected accomplice, Jan Coenraad De Jager.
The agency disclosed that the Abuja operation was one of several successful anti-narcotics operations conducted across Nigeria in recent days. At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, Onyechere Daniel Chinadufor, shortly after he arrived from Madagascar through Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
A search of his backpack reportedly uncovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed inside clothing. While under observation, the suspect later excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps weighing approximately 1.715 kilogrammes. During interrogation, the suspect allegedly informed investigators that he had worked as an okada rider in Lagos for about 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by an associate based in Uganda.
In another major operation, NDLEA, working jointly with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a container carrying 8,287 nylon bags of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.
The seized consignment weighed about 4,143.5 kilogrammes and was estimated to have a street value exceeding ₦10.3 billion. The agency explained that the operation followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance carried out by its Maritime Intelligence Unit from the point of shipment in Montreal, Canada, until the container arrived in Nigeria.
NDLEA also announced that operatives thwarted an attempt to export 2.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor through a Lagos-based courier company. The illicit shipment was reportedly destined for Cyprus before it was intercepted by anti-narcotics officers.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said its commands across the country continued implementing the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres and communities in several states. The initiative is aimed at discouraging drug abuse while promoting public awareness of the dangers associated with illicit substances.
Commending officers involved in the various operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the commands for sustaining both aggressive drug supply reduction efforts and nationwide public enlightenment campaigns. He encouraged officers to remain committed to disrupting drug trafficking networks while strengthening preventive education as part of the agency’s broader strategy to combat illicit drugs across Nigeria.
