National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have nabbed a 30-year-old Brazilian lady, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, caught with a total of 30.09 kilograms of white heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs.
Operatives of the anti-narcotic agency arrested the Brazilian at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja while bringing into Nigeria the heroin whose street value was put at over ₦3 billion.
The Agency also seized bags of explosives heading to Kano, Kaduna, while it has kept in custody a village head in Edo State, 72-year-old grandpa and others and also recovered tons of illicit drugs in raids across Borno, Jigawa, Kwara, Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo states, FCT and others.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, stated these in a press release issued on Sunday on the activities of the Agency in the past week.
The 30-year-old Brazilian who works as a private security officer in her home country was arrested at the Abuja Airport on Friday, 23 January, 2026 upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431.
After her arrest, which was the sequel to a processed intelligence, a search was conducted on her two checked-in bags where 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee were found.
“When the coffee packs were opened, rather than containing the beverage, what was found inside were white substances that later tested positive for heroin weighing a total of 30.09 kilograms.
“The discovery and subsequent arrest of the Brazilian lady made it the single largest 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,” it was further stated.
NDLEA operatives, on Tuesday, 20 January intercepted two passengers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos.
The two passengers -Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko- 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 last Thursday, 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,” it was stated.
Two suspects- Aminu Ali Baba (20) and Abdulrasheed Abubakar (28), were, last Friday, 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, Abdulrasheed Abubakar nabbed at Mando Park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations,” it was stated.
An intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA Kaduna on Thursday 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, 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,” it was further disclosed.
A female suspect, Mrs. Eze Cynthia Chioma, was, on Friday, arrested in Mokwa, Niger State in a follow-up operation by NDLEA operatives.
Her arrest followed 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,” it was stated.
In Ekiti, NDLEA operatives, on Saturday, 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, the anti-narcotic agency further stated.
A village head, Chief James Abamu and another suspect, Aboy Egah Abamu, have been taken into custody by the Edo State Command of NDLEA, following their arrest and prompt transfer to the Agency by soldiers of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Benin City.
Their arrest was after a raid operation at Lagos Camp, Ilushi in Esan South East LGA, where 681kg skunk and 181kg cannabis seeds were recovered from them last Wednesday.
The trio of Abba Hassan, Anas Moh’d Auwal and Sadik Ismail were arrested in Sabon Gari area of Kano, last Tuesday, with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection.
The duo of Olajumoke Ridwan and Baruwa Ibukun were nabbed at Paris Lounge, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, last Thursday, with 181.5 litres of skuchies, a mixture skunk and other illicit substances recovered from them.
In Benue State, a female suspect, Janet Iornongu, was arrested at Yes Ikyuan Village, Guma LGA with 210kg skunk, while a total of 254.5kg of same psychoactive substance was seized from Anita Job along Abaji -Toto Road, FCT, on Thursday.
A total of 39,800 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered from two suspects: Hamisu Misbahu and Chima Obi at Alaba Rago, Mile 2 area of Lagos, on Monday.
No fewer than 30,003 pills of tramadol, molly and other opioids as well as 20 litres of codeine syrup were seized from a suspect, Chinyecherem Cyprian Ugwu, by NDLEA officers along Sapele Road Warri, Delta State, on Thursday.
Kayode Obameye, aged 57, was nabbed at Mobil Roundabout, Akure, Ondo State with 1,500 kilograms of skunk recovered from him, on Friday.
NDLEA officers continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities across all Commands and formations of the Agency nationwide.
These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo; WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Beloved Montessori Group of Schools, Ede, Osun State.
They were also at Owerri City Junior Secondary School, Owerri, Imo State; Government Day Secondary School, Otukpo, Benue State; and Darawa Primary School, Dutsinma, Katsina State, among others.
Meanwhile, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended 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.
He 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.
