NDLEA Arrests South African Woman with 5.75kg Heroin, Seizes N10.3bn Cannabis Shipment at Lagos Port

 NDLEA Arrests South African Woman with 5.75kg Heroin, Seizes N10.3bn Cannabis Shipment at Lagos Port

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria while travelling with her three-year-old son. The agency also intercepted an alleged drug courier who excreted 100 wraps of methamphetamine and seized cannabis valued at over N10.3 billion at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded major breakthroughs in its nationwide anti-drug operations with the arrest of a South African woman allegedly attempting to smuggle heroin into Nigeria using her three-year-old son as a cover, the interception of a suspected methamphetamine trafficker, and the seizure of cannabis worth over N10.3 billion at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.

The South African suspect, identified as 38-year-old Ms. Will Jessica Ann, was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, on Monday, July 6, 2026, during the arrival clearance of passengers aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha.

According to the agency, officers recovered 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilograms concealed inside her luggage. She had initially denied travelling with checked-in baggage, but investigations revealed that two suitcases containing the illicit drugs carried baggage tags matching those attached to her passport. She later admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.

Preliminary investigations showed that the suspect travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja. Intelligence gathered by the NDLEA indicates she is allegedly linked to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating between Cambodia and South Africa alongside her husband and associate, Jan Coenraad De Jager.

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

A search of his checked-in backpack uncovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed among his clothing. During interrogation, Onyechere disclosed that he had worked as an Okada rider in the Oke-Afa area of Lagos for 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by a friend based in Uganda.

He claimed he swallowed additional pellets of methamphetamine in Uganda before travelling to Madagascar to deliver the drugs. However, after he was denied entry by immigration officials in Madagascar, his sponsor allegedly rerouted him to Lagos, where he was apprehended.

Unable to state the exact number of pellets he had ingested, NDLEA placed him under observation. Over a three-day period, he excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine with a combined weight of 1.715 kilograms.

At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA officers, working jointly with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, uncovered 8,287 nylon bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 4,143.5 kilograms and estimated to have a street value exceeding N10.3 billion.

The drugs were discovered inside a container imported from Canada during a joint examination conducted on Friday, July 10, 2026. The agency said the seizure followed weeks of intelligence-led tracking and surveillance of the shipment from Montreal, Canada, by its Maritime Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Apapa Strategic Command.

In another operation, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a Lagos-based courier company.

Beyond enforcement, the agency said it sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign across the country, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools, workplaces and communities.

Some of the institutions visited include Nnodo Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; Government Girls Secondary School, Sabon Gida, Sharada, Kano State; Royal Jesuit College, Agbado Ekiti; and Community Secondary School, Idofa, Ogun State. The leadership of NDLEA Zone 14 Command also paid an advocacy visit to the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

Commending officers attached to the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, MMIA, NAIA, Maritime Intelligence Unit and Apapa Commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their commitment to reducing the supply of illicit drugs while sustaining public enlightenment through the WADA initiative.

He urged officers across the country to remain steadfast in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse and not relent in their efforts.