Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, Ms. Will Jessica Ann, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after she was found to have concealed 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilograms in her luggage—using her three-year-old son as a cover to beat security checks.
The suspect was arrested on Monday, July 6, during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha to Abuja.
Suspect Initially Denied Checking in Bags
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi revealed that the suspect initially denied travelling with check-in bags. However, operatives quickly established that two bags containing the drugs had tags matching the claim tags attached to her passport.
“She recounted and admitted ownership of the bags, adding that she forgot she checked in the two bags,” Babafemi stated.
The suspect claimed to have travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja. Intelligence indicates she is a member of a transnational drug trafficking organisation operating along the Cambodian-South African axis, alongside her husband or partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, based in Cambodia.
Okada Rider Arrested with 100 Wraps of Methamphetamine
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers at the Terminal 2 arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos intercepted a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle operator, Onyechere Daniel Chinadu, on June 28 following his arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight.
A thorough search of his checked-in backpack led to the discovery of 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed within clothing. In his statement, Onyechere claimed he had worked as an okada rider in the Oke-Afo area of Lagos for 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by a Uganda-based friend.
He said he had ingested pellets of methamphetamine in Uganda before embarking on his journey to Madagascar to deliver the drug consignment. However, upon arrival in Madagascar, he was denied entry by immigration authorities. His sponsor, Ozor Igo (based in Uganda), consequently rerouted his flight to Lagos, where he was arrested.
The suspect was placed under excretion observation for three days after being unable to state the exact number of pellets he had ingested. Between the date of his arrest and July 1, he excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total to 100 wraps of methamphetamine with a gross weight of 1.715 kilograms.
N10.3 Billion Worth of Canadian Loud Seized at Lagos Port
At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, a joint examination by NDLEA officers, Customs personnel, and other security agencies on Friday, July 10, uncovered a total of 8,287 nylon bags of Canadian Loud, weighing 4,143.5 kilograms and valued at over N10.3 billion in street value.
The discovery followed weeks of targeted tracking and monitoring of the shipment since its departure from Montreal, Canada, by operatives of the NDLEA’s Maritime Intelligence Unit in close collaboration with the Apapa Strategic Command.
Meanwhile, an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk (a strain of cannabis) concealed in a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a courier company in Lagos was thwarted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation.
NDLEA Commends Officers, Urges Continued Vigilance
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the DOGI, MMIA, NAIA, MIU, and Apapa Commands for the arrests and seizures.
He noted their balanced approach to drug supply reduction efforts alongside War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities, charging them and their compatriots across the country not to rest on their past laurels.
The Agency’s commands and formations across Nigeria continued their WADA sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities throughout the past week, including an advocacy visit to Rivers State Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara at Government House Port Harcourt.
