The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, Ms. Will Jessica Ann, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria. The suspect reportedly used her three-year-old son as a cover to evade security checks.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, announced the arrest in a statement on Sunday. He explained that Ms. Ann was apprehended on Monday, July 6, during the arrival screening of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha. Although she initially denied having checked luggage, NDLEA officers found two suitcases containing 14 large blocks of heroin with baggage tags matching those on her passport. When confronted, she admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten to check them in.
Further investigation revealed that Ms. Ann had traveled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja. Preliminary intelligence suggests she is part of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate, allegedly operated with her husband or partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, who is based in Cambodia. The syndicate is believed to coordinate drug trafficking between Cambodia and South Africa.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 8,287 nylon bags of the psychoactive cannabis strain known as Canadian Loud at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos. The shipment, weighing 4,143.5 kilograms and valued at over N10.3 billion, was concealed in a container imported from Canada. This seizure followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by NDLEA’s Maritime Intelligence Unit and Apapa Strategic Command, tracking the container from Montreal to Lagos.
Additionally, NDLEA foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk (a potent cannabis strain) to Cyprus by concealing it inside a gas compressor at a Lagos-based courier company. This operation was conducted by the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign nationwide, holding sensitization programs in schools, communities, and public institutions. Recent outreach included Nnodo Secondary School in Abakaliki, Government Girls Secondary School in Kano, Royal Jesuit College in Ekiti, and Community Secondary School in Ogun State. The agency’s Zone 14 Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in these operations, urging them to sustain their efforts in disrupting drug trafficking networks and enhancing public awareness to reduce drug abuse nationwide.
