NDLEA Intercepts Major Drug Shipments at Airports and Seaports in Nationwide Crackdown

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja for attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into the country. The suspect, identified as Will Ann, was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a flight from Doha. Security operatives discovered 14 large blocks of heroin concealed within two checked suitcases. Although the suspect initially denied owning any checked baggage, officials matched her passport claim tags to the luggage, prompting her to admit ownership. Investigations indicate she traveled from Cambodia through Doha to Nigeria and is allegedly linked to an international drug trafficking network operating across the Cambodia-South Africa axis.

In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, anti-narcotics officers arrested a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, Onyechere Chinadu, arriving from Madagascar via Addis Ababa. A search of his backpack initially uncovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine hidden inside clothing. The suspect later excreted an additional 13 pellets while under observation, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps weighing 1.715 kilograms. The suspect admitted to being recruited by a Uganda-based associate after working as an okada rider in Lagos for 15 years, noting that he was rerouted back to Nigeria after being denied entry into Madagascar.

The agency also recorded a massive seizure at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, intercepting 8,287 bags of “Canadian Loud,” a highly potent synthetic strain of cannabis. The consignment, weighing 4,143.5 kilograms, has an estimated street value of over ₦10.3 billion. The illicit cargo was uncovered during a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies following weeks of targeted tracking since the shipment departed Montreal, Canada. In another outbound operation, operatives in Lagos foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor bound for Cyprus.

Alongside enforcement actions, the agency has sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns, conducting drug enlightenment lectures in secondary schools across Ebonyi, Kano, Ekiti, and Ogun states. The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved in the multi-state operations for their vigilance. He urged commands across the country to intensify efforts to dismantle trafficking networks and reduce drug supply effectively.