Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin concealed in her luggage.
The agency disclosed that the suspect allegedly used her three-year-old son as a cover in an attempt to avoid suspicion and evade thorough security screening.
According to a statement issued by the NDLEA on Sunday, the woman was arrested on Monday, July 6, during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Abuja.
The agency said the suspect initially denied travelling with any checked luggage. However, further checks revealed that two suitcases containing the illicit drugs carried baggage tags that matched those attached to her passport.
“She eventually admitted ownership of the bags after claiming she had forgotten that she checked them in,” the NDLEA stated.
During interrogation, the suspect reportedly told investigators that she had travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja. Intelligence gathered by the agency further linked her 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 search of his checked backpack led to the recovery of 87 wraps of methamphetamine hidden inside clothing.
The suspect reportedly confessed that he had worked as a commercial motorcycle rider in Lagos for about 15 years before an associate based in Uganda recruited him into drug trafficking.
He also admitted swallowing additional pellets of methamphetamine before embarking on a planned trip to Madagascar to deliver the illicit consignment. However, he was denied entry by immigration authorities on arrival and was subsequently rerouted to Lagos, where NDLEA operatives arrested him.
Unable to state the exact number of pellets he had ingested, the suspect was placed under excretion observation for three days. During the period, he excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilograms.
Meanwhile, at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers, working jointly with personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a shipment containing 8,287 nylon bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 4,143.5 kilograms.
The agency estimated the street value of the seized drugs at more than ₦10.3 billion.
According to the NDLEA, the consignment was uncovered during a joint examination of a container imported from Canada following weeks of intelligence-led surveillance conducted by its Maritime Intelligence Unit.
In another operation, NDLEA 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 sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes held in schools, communities, workplaces and places of worship across several states, including Ebonyi, Kano, Ekiti and Ogun.
The campaign also featured advocacy visits to government officials as part of efforts to strengthen public awareness of the dangers of drug abuse.
The NDLEA commended officers involved in the various operations for the successful arrests and seizures, urging personnel across its commands to maintain the momentum in both drug supply reduction and public enlightenment initiatives.
