The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday, January 23, 2026, arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian lady, Ms Ingrid Rosa Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for allegedly bringing a total of 30.09 kilogrammes of white substances, suspected to be heroin and concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs worth over N3 billion in street value, into Nigeria.
The suspect, who works as a private security officer in Brazil, was arrested at the Abuja airport upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following processed intelligence, Thenewsbearer gathered in a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, January 25.
A search conducted on her two checked-in bags had after her arrest had revealed 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee stuffed in them.
“When the coffee bags 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 kilogrammes, making 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,” the NDLEA spokesman said..
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, January 20, 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, January 22, intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1,848 kilogrammes at the Jakande beach in Lekki Lagos.
The shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence stormed the location at about 1a.m., and recovered the consignment and the boat.
Also, two suspects: Aminu Ali Baba, 20; and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28; were on Friday, January 23, 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. Ali Baba was arrested at Karota Motor Park in Kano while Abubakar was nabbed at Mando Park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations.
Thenewsbearer further gathered that an intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA, Kaduna, on Thursday, January 22, led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim, 42; and Adejimoh Ismaila, 44; with 120 kilogrammes 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, January 21, 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.
Another operation led to the arrest of a female suspect, Mrs. Eze Cynthia Chioma, in Mokwa, Niger State, on Friday, January 27, in a follow-up 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, January 24, 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 kilogrammes of skunk were reported to have been recovered from the duo.
A village head, Chief James Abamu and another suspect, Aboy Egah Abamu are in custody of the Edo State Command of the NDLEA following their arrest and prompt transfer to the Agency by soldiers of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Benin city, after a raid operation at Lagos camp Ilushi in Esan South East LGA.
During the raid, 681kg skunk and 181kg cannabis seeds were recovered from the suspect on Wednesday, January 21.
The trio of Abba Hassan, Anas Moh’d Auwal and Sadik Ismail were arrested in Sabon Gari area of Kano on Tuesday, January 20, with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while the duo of Olajumoke Ridwan and Baruwa Ibukun were nabbed at Paris Lounge, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday, January 22, with 181.5 litres of skuchies, a mixture of 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, January 22.
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, January 19.
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, January 22, while Kayode Obameye, 57, was nabbed at Mobil roundabout, Akure, Ondo State, with 1,500 kilogrammes of skunk recovered from him on Friday, January 23.
Across all Commands and formations of the Agency nationwide, NDLEA officers continued their War Against Drug Abuse, (WADA), sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Taraba State Command of NDLEA; WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo; Osun State Command of NDLEA’s WADA lecture delivery on sensitisation 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.
