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. Authorities said the suspect was travelling with her three-year-old son, whom investigators believe was used to reduce suspicion during airport screening.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect was intercepted on July 6 while passengers arriving aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha were being cleared. Although she reportedly denied travelling with any checked baggage, officers matched baggage claim tags attached to her passport with two suitcases later found to contain 14 parcels of heroin weighing 5.75kg.
The agency said the suspect later acknowledged that the luggage belonged to her, explaining that she had forgotten she checked in the bags before boarding her flight. Investigators disclosed that she had travelled from Cambodia through Doha before arriving in Abuja.
Preliminary investigations suggest the suspect may be linked to an international drug trafficking network operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route. NDLEA said intelligence gathered so far points to an alleged collaboration with a partner identified as Jan Coenraad De Jager, who is believed to be based in Cambodia. Investigations are ongoing.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, arrested Onyechere Daniel Chinadu, a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, over the alleged trafficking of methamphetamine. The agency said officers initially recovered 87 wraps of the drug concealed in his luggage, while another 13 wraps were later excreted under observation, bringing the total to 100 wraps weighing 1.715kg.
The anti-narcotics agency also announced the seizure of 4,143.5kg of Canadian Loud cannabis at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos. The consignment, estimated to have a street value of more than ₦10.3 billion, was intercepted during a joint operation involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies after weeks of intelligence-led surveillance.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands across the country to sustain efforts aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks while strengthening public awareness campaigns against drug abuse.
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