The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after operatives uncovered 5.75 kilograms of heroin concealed inside her luggage.
According to the agency, the suspect allegedly attempted to evade security scrutiny by travelling with her three-year-old son, using the child as a cover while transporting the illicit drugs into Nigeria.
NDLEA disclosed that the woman initially denied having any checked luggage upon arrival. However, officers conducting routine profiling and baggage verification discovered that two suitcases containing the heroin bore baggage tags that matched those attached to her passport.
Following further questioning, the suspect eventually admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten that she had checked them in before boarding her flight.
Preliminary investigations revealed that she travelled from Cambodia through Doha before arriving in Abuja. Intelligence gathered by the agency suggests she is allegedly linked to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia-South Africa route.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider shortly after he arrived from Madagascar via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
A thorough search of his checked backpack led to the discovery of 87 wraps of methamphetamine carefully concealed inside clothing packed in the luggage.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed that he had worked as a commercial motorcycle rider in Lagos for about 15 years before being recruited into international drug trafficking by an associate based in Uganda.
He further disclosed that he had swallowed several pellets of methamphetamine before embarking on a planned trip to Madagascar to deliver the illicit consignment. However, immigration authorities in Madagascar reportedly denied him entry, forcing his return to Lagos, where NDLEA officers arrested him upon arrival.
Unable to state the exact number of drug pellets he had ingested, the suspect was placed under medical observation for three days. During the monitoring period, he excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilograms.
In another major operation, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, working in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a massive shipment of Canadian Loud, a highly potent strain of cannabis.
The seizure comprised 8,287 nylon bags of the illicit substance with a combined weight of 4,143.5 kilograms.
The agency estimated the street value of the confiscated consignment at more than ₦10.3 billion.
NDLEA said the drugs were uncovered during a joint examination of a shipping container imported from Canada after weeks of intelligence-driven surveillance and tracking by its Maritime Intelligence Unit.
In a related operation, operatives also 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 its enforcement activities, the agency said it continued to intensify its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes organised in schools, communities, workplaces and places of worship across several states, including Ebonyi, Kano, Ekiti and Ogun.
The awareness campaign also featured advocacy visits to government officials aimed at strengthening public education on the dangers associated with drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
The NDLEA commended officers involved in the successful operations for their professionalism and vigilance, urging personnel across its commands nationwide to sustain the ongoing momentum in combating drug trafficking while expanding public enlightenment efforts to reduce drug abuse across the country.
NDLEA Arrests South African Woman with 5.75kg Heroin at Abuja Airport, Seizes ₦10.3bn Cannabis Shipment in Major Drug Busts
