|By Chinwendu Nwani
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ingrid Rosa Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with 30.09 kilograms of heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs valued at over ₦3 billion on the streets.
The arrest, confirmed in a statement on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, followed intelligence-driven surveillance that tracked the suspect to Nigeria aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431 on Friday.
A search of Benevides’ two checked-in bags uncovered 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee. However, laboratory analysis revealed the contents were not beverages but white powdery substances that tested positive for heroin, marking the single largest heroin seizure ever recorded at the Abuja airport. During preliminary interrogation, the suspect, a private security officer in Brazil, claimed she travelled to Nigeria under the guise of a holiday.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport intercepted two outbound passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, on Tuesday, January 20, as they attempted to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul. A search revealed 3,990 pills of tapentadol and tramaking concealed in food items packed in their luggage.
The agency also recorded a major maritime seizure when operatives of its Marine Command intercepted a wooden boat at Jakande Beach, Lekki, in the early hours of Thursday, January 22. The boat, which had just arrived from Ghana, carried 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms.
In Kaduna and Kano states, NDLEA operatives arrested Aminu Ali Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28, in connection with the interception of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives bound for Kano and Kaduna. The explosives were seized from a commercial bus along the Kaduna–Zaria highway, with the suspects arrested in swift follow-up operations.
Further intelligence-led raids across Kaduna, Borno, Kwara, Niger, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Oyo, Benue, Delta, Ondo, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory led to the arrest of multiple suspects and the seizure of large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam, codeine syrup, pentazocine injections and other illicit substances. Notable among the arrests were a village head in Edo State, elderly drug dealers in Ekiti, and several women implicated in large-scale drug trafficking.
Commending the nationwide operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers across all participating commands for their professionalism and operational dexterity. He urged them to sustain the current momentum in disrupting drug supply chains and reducing drug demand across the country.
