NDLEA arrests South African woman with 5.75kg heroin at Abuja airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, identified as Will Jessica Ann, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The agency said the suspect was intercepted on 6 July during the clearance of passengers arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. She was travelling with her three-year-old son.

According to the NDLEA, officers discovered 14 large parcels of heroin concealed inside two suitcases linked to the suspect.

The agency said the woman initially denied checking in any luggage. However, investigators matched the baggage tags on the suitcases with the claim tags attached to her passport, prompting her to acknowledge ownership of the bags.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect reportedly claimed she had forgotten that she checked in the luggage.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the woman travelled from Cambodia through Doha before arriving in Abuja.

The NDLEA further alleged that intelligence available to the agency linked the suspect to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route, allegedly involving her husband, Jan Coenraad De Jager.

The arrest was part of a series of anti-drug operations carried out by the agency across the country, including seizures at airports, seaports and courier facilities.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s offensive against illicit drug trafficking while intensifying public sensitisation on drug abuse.