National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, identified as Will Jessica Ann, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, the suspect was arrested on July 6 during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. He said operatives discovered 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilogrammes concealed in two checked suitcases.
The woman reportedly travelled with her three-year-old son in what investigators believe was an attempt to avoid suspicion and thorough screening.
Babafemi said the suspect initially denied having any checked luggage, but officers matched the baggage tags on the suitcases with the claim tags attached to her passport.
She later admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in. Investigations revealed that she travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja and is suspected to be a member of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route with her husband or partner, identified as Jan Coenraad De Jager.
The NDLEA also announced other major seizures, including the interception of 4,143.5 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud cannabis valued at over ₦10.3 billion at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos. In
a separate operation, operatives arrested a 48-year-old man at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos after recovering 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilogrammes from his luggage and through excretion observation.
