The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Jessica Ann, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect was intercepted on Monday, July 6, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha.

The agency said operatives discovered 14 large blocks of heroin concealed inside two suitcases. Although the woman initially denied travelling with any checked baggage, investigators matched the baggage tags to claim tags attached to her passport, prompting her to admit ownership of the luggage.

The suspect reportedly claimed she had travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja. NDLEA alleged that intelligence indicates she is linked to a transnational drug trafficking network operating along the Cambodia-South Africa route alongside her husband and partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager.

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

The agency said an initial search uncovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine hidden in his clothing. Chinadu allegedly confessed he had worked as an okada rider in Lagos for 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by an associate based in Uganda.

NDLEA said the suspect admitted swallowing additional pellets of methamphetamine in Uganda before his journey. After he was denied entry into Madagascar, his sponsor allegedly redirected him to Lagos, where he was arrested. Between his arrest and July 11, he excreted 13 more pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilograms.

At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA also announced the interception of 8,287 bags of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, weighing 4,143.5 kilograms and valued at more than N10.3 billion.

The agency said the shipment, imported from Canada, was intercepted during a joint examination involving NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies after weeks of surveillance.

NDLEA also disclosed that its operatives foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor bound for Cyprus through a Lagos courier company.

Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse awareness campaign in schools across Ebonyi, Kano, Ekiti and Ogun states, while its Zone 14 Command paid an advocacy visit to Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain both enforcement and public sensitisation efforts against illicit drug trafficking and drug abuse.