NDLEA arrests South African woman with 5.75kg heroin at Abuja airport

South African woman, Will Jessica Ann

NDLEA arrests South African woman with 5.75kg heroin at Abuja airport

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 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, while travelling with her three-year-old son.

The arrest, which forms part of the agency’s sustained crackdown on international drug trafficking, was made on Monday, July 6, 2026, during the clearance of inbound passengers aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha.

According to the NDLEA, the suspect allegedly concealed 14 large parcels of heroin weighing 5.75kg inside two suitcases in an attempt to beat airport security.

The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect initially denied travelling with any checked baggage when she was questioned by NDLEA operatives.

However, officers conducting routine profiling and intelligence-led checks discovered that the baggage tags on the two suitcases matched the claim tags attached to her passport.

Confronted with the evidence, the suspect reportedly admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in before boarding the flight.

According to the agency, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect travelled from Cambodia through Doha, Qatar, before arriving in Abuja.

The NDLEA further disclosed that intelligence gathered during the investigation suggests the suspect is allegedly linked to a multinational drug trafficking syndicate operating between Cambodia and South Africa alongside her husband and suspected accomplice, Jan Coenraad De Jager.

Investigators also alleged that she travelled with her three-year-old son in what they believe was an attempt to reduce suspicion during airport screening, a tactic the agency described as a disturbing abuse of a child’s innocence.

NDLEA arrests Lagos-bound passenger with methamphetamine

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, arrested Onyechere Chinadu, a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, shortly after he arrived from Madagascar via Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

According to the agency, an initial search of the suspect’s backpack led to the recovery of 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed inside clothing.

During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed that he had worked as an okada rider in Lagos for about 15 years before he was recruited into international drug trafficking by a Ugandan associate.

He allegedly admitted swallowing several pellets of methamphetamine in Uganda before embarking on the journey to Madagascar, where he was expected to deliver the illicit consignment.

The operation, however, failed after immigration authorities in Madagascar denied him entry into the country.

The NDLEA said his sponsors subsequently instructed him to travel to Nigeria, where he was arrested immediately after landing in Lagos.

Because the suspect could not state the exact number of drug pellets he had swallowed, NDLEA officials placed him under medical observation.

Between the date of his arrest and July 11, he excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilograms.

NDLEA intensifies nationwide anti-drug operations

The two arrests are part of a broader nationwide offensive by the NDLEA against drug trafficking and organised criminal networks.

The agency recently announced the seizure of 4,143.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud cannabis worth more than ₦10.3 billion at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, describing it as one of its largest cannabis interceptions in recent times.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), has repeatedly reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening intelligence-driven operations at airports, seaports and land borders to dismantle international drug trafficking syndicates.

Marwa has also urged officers to sustain the momentum in the fight against illicit drug trafficking while calling on Nigerians to continue supporting the agency with credible intelligence capable of disrupting the activities of criminal networks.

The NDLEA said both suspects remain in custody and will be prosecuted upon the conclusion of investigations in accordance with Nigeria’s drug control laws.