A 30-year-old Brazilian lady, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
She was intercepted on arrival into Nigeria with a total of 30.09 kilograms of white heroin concealed in factory sealed coffee packs worth over N3 billion in street value.
The suspect, who works as a private security officer in Brazil was arrested at the Abuja airport on Friday, 23rd January, 2026 upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following processed intelligence.
After her arrest, a search was conducted on her two checked-in bags where 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee were found.
The Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi disclosed in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that when the coffee bags were opened, it was discovered to be containing substances that tested positive for herpin rather than the beverage declared.
It was further learnt that the heroin which weighed a total of 30.09 kilograms, was the largest single heroin seizure at the Abuja airport.
During her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the white heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays.
In a similar development, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 20th January, intercepted two passengers: Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko who were heading to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight with a total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed in food items packed in their bags.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Marine Command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday, 22nd January intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms at the Jakande beach in Lekki Lagos.
The shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence stormed the location around 1am, recovered the consignment and the boat.
Two suspects: Aminu Ali Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28, were on Friday 23rd January arrested by NDLEA operatives in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna.
The bags were intercepted in a commercial bus along Kaduna- Zaria highway, Zaria, while Aminu Ali Baba was arrested at Karota park in Kano and Abdulrasheed Abubakar nabbed at Mando park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations.
An intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA Kaduna on Thursday 22nd January led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim, 42, and Adejimoh Ismaila, 44, with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.
As part of efforts to disrupt the supply chain of illicit drugs to terror groups, NDLEA operatives in Borno state on Wednesday 21st January intercepted 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam concealed in sacks of charcoal and animal feeds in a public transport car coming from Potiskum, Yobe.
A follow-up operation at Bulabulin, Maiduguri led to the arrest of the owner, Rabiu Imam, 32.
Meanwhile, a female suspect Mrs. Eze Cynthia Chioma was on Friday, 23rd January arrested in Mokwa, Niger state in a follow up operation by NDLEA operatives following the seizure of her consignment of 78,500 pills of tramadol same day at Bode Saadu, Kwara state in a truck coming from Lagos.
Her husband currently remanded in prison and facing trial was arrested for the same drug trafficking offence last year.
In Ekiti, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 24th January arrested 72-year-old Afolalu Joseph at his 15 Aramoko road, Mushin, Ilawe-Ekiti and Abu Bunmi (alias Go Slow), 45, at New Jerusalem area, Erijinyan road, Ilawe-Ekiti for illicit drug dealing. A total of 62 kilograms of skunk were recovered from the duo.
These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Taraba state command of NDLEA conducts WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo, Osun state command of NDLEA delivers WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Beloved Montessori Group of Schools, Ede, Osun state;
Owerri City Junior Secondary School, Owerri, Imo; Government Day Secondary School, Otukpo, Benue; and Darawa Primary School, Dutsinma, Katsina, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Marine, Borno, Jigawa, Kwara, Kaduna, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Benue, Lagos and Ondo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to maintain the current standard of professionalism in all their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.
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