By Danjuma Amodu
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75kg of heroin into Nigeria while using her three-year-old son as cover.
The agency also announced the seizure of 4,143.5kg of Canadian Loud cannabis worth over N10.3 billion at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, and the interception of a suspected drug courier who excreted 100 wraps of methamphetamine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the South African suspect, identified as Jessica Ann Will, was arrested on July 6 during the clearance of passengers arriving aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha.
Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that the suspect initially denied travelling with any checked luggage, but investigations revealed that two suitcases containing 14 large blocks of heroin bore baggage tags matching those attached to her passport.
He said the suspect later admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.
The NDLEA said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja and is believed to be part of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate allegedly operated with her husband or partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, along the Cambodia-South Africa route.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at MMIA arrested 48-year-old Onyechere Chinadu, an Okada rider from Lagos, upon his arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa on June 28.
The agency said officers recovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine hidden inside clothes in his backpack during a search.
During interrogation, the suspect reportedly told investigators he had worked as a commercial motorcycle rider in Lagos for 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by a Uganda-based associate.
He claimed he ingested additional drug pellets in Uganda before travelling to Madagascar but was denied entry by immigration authorities there. According to him, his sponsor subsequently rerouted him to Lagos, where he was arrested.
Because he could not state the exact quantity of drugs he had swallowed, NDLEA placed him under observation. Over three days, he excreted an additional 13 pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilogrammes.
At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA said operatives, working alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, uncovered 8,287 nylon bags of Canadian Loud weighing 4,143.5 kilogrammes inside a container imported from Canada.
The agency said the seizure followed weeks of intelligence-led surveillance by its Maritime Intelligence Unit, which tracked the shipment from Montreal before it arrived in Lagos. The illicit consignment has an estimated street value exceeding N10.3 billion.
In another operation, NDLEA said it thwarted an attempt to export 2.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a courier company in Lagos.
Babafemi said the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across the country, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools and communities in Ebonyi, Kano, Ekiti and Ogun states, while officials of its Zone 14 Command paid an advocacy visit to Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Commending officers involved in the various successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the agency’s continued success in reducing the supply of illicit drugs while intensifying public awareness campaigns against drug abuse.
He urged personnel across the country to remain steadfast in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
