The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after officers allegedly discovered 5.75 kilograms of heroin concealed in her luggage.
According to the agency, the suspect allegedly travelled with her three-year-old son in an attempt to avoid suspicion and evade thorough security checks.
She was intercepted during the arrival clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha on July 6.
NDLEA said the woman initially denied checking in any luggage, but investigations linked two suitcases containing the drugs to baggage tags attached to her passport.
She later admitted ownership of the bags after claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja and is believed to have links with an international drug trafficking network operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, NDLEA arrested a 48-year-old man who arrived from Madagascar via Ethiopia with methamphetamine hidden in his backpack.
The suspect also excreted 13 pellets of the drug after being placed under observation, bringing the total seizure to 100 wraps weighing 1.715 kilograms.
The agency also recorded a major breakthrough at Apapa Seaport, where operatives intercepted 4,143.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, concealed in a container imported from Canada.
The seized drugs were valued at over N10.3 billion.
In another operation, officers foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk hidden inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a Lagos courier company.
NDLEA said the successful operations underscore its sustained crackdown on drug trafficking while reaffirming its commitment to public sensitisation through its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse campaign.
