Nigerian drug agents detain female suspect from South Africa over alleged role in smuggling heroin

A 38-year-old South African woman, Ms. Will Jessica Ann, was apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, for attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria, using her three-year-old son as a decoy.

n

The arrest took place on Monday, July 6, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha to Abuja, according to the agency.

n

Initially, the suspect denied travelling with any checked-in luggage, but NDLEA operatives discovered that two bags containing 14 large blocks of heroin bore baggage tags matching the claim tags attached to her passport.

n

The woman eventually admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten that she checked them in, and reportedly told investigators she travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja.

n

Intelligence reports indicate that the suspect is a member of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia-South Africa axis with her husband and alleged accomplice, Jan Coenraad De Jager.

n

The agency disclosed that the arrest was one of several major operations carried out by its operatives across the country in recent days, including the interception of a 48-year-old commercial motorcyclist, Onyechere Daniel Chinadufor, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

n

A search of Chinadufor's backpack led to the recovery of 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed in clothing, while he later excreted 13 additional pellets after being placed under observation, bringing the total to 100 wraps weighing 1.715 kilogrammes.

n

Chinadufor allegedly told investigators he had worked as an okada rider in Lagos for 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by a Uganda-based associate.

n

In another operation, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 8,287 nylon bags of “Canadian Loud,” a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 4,143.5 kilogrammes and valued at more than ₦10.3 billion.

n

The seizure occurred during a joint examination of a container imported from Canada at the Apapa Seaport, Lagos, following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the agency's Maritime Intelligence Unit from the point of shipment in Montreal, Canada.

n

NDLEA also foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a Lagos-based courier company.

n

The agency's commands nationwide sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign with awareness programmes in schools, worship centres and communities across several states.

n

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the agency’s commands for combining drug supply reduction efforts with public sensitisation and urged them to remain steadfast in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.