Hussaini Umar
A 38-year-old South African woman, Ms. Will Jessica Ann, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilograms were allegedly discovered concealed in her luggage.
In a statement by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday that the suspect allegedly travelled with her three-year-old son, whom she used as a cover to beat security checks and evade thorough screening.
According to Babafemi, the suspect initially denied travelling with any checked-in luggage. However, NDLEA operatives matched the baggage tags to the claim tags attached to her passport, prompting her to admit ownership of the bags after initially claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.
Babafemi said the suspect was arrested on Monday, July 6, during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha to Abuja. He added that the suspect claimed to have travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Nigeria.
The NDLEA spokesman further said intelligence gathered by the agency indicates that the suspect is allegedly a member of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route alongside her husband and alleged accomplice, Jan Coenraad De Jager, who is based in Cambodia.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos intercepted 8,287 nylon bags of the Canadian Loud strain of cannabis, weighing 4,143.5 kilograms and valued at over N10.3 billion in street value.
Babafemi said the seizure followed weeks of intelligence-led tracking and monitoring of the shipment from Montreal, Canada, in collaboration with the Maritime Intelligence Unit.
He added that the agency has continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across the country, reaching schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities.
Chairman of the NDLEA, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations for the successful arrests and seizures.
He urged personnel across the country to remain steadfast in the fight against illicit drugs until Nigeria achieves a drug-free society.
