NDLEA Seizes ₦3bn Heroin from Brazilian Traveler at Abuja Airport

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded a major breakthrough at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with the arrest of a 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ingrid Benevides, over an attempt to smuggle a large consignment of heroin into the country.

The suspect was intercepted on Friday, January 23, 2026, shortly after arriving in Abuja aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431. NDLEA officials said the arrest followed weeks of intelligence-led monitoring.

According to a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, a thorough search of Benevides’ two checked-in suitcases uncovered 21 factory-sealed packs of Brazilian coffee. Further inspection revealed that the packs had been tampered with and were filled with a white substance, which later tested positive for heroin.

Babafemi disclosed that the seized drugs weighed a total of 30.09 kilograms, with an estimated street value exceeding ₦3 billion, making it the largest heroin seizure ever recorded at the Abuja airport.

During initial questioning, the Brazilian national, who is reportedly a private security officer in her home country, claimed she entered Nigeria under the pretext of a holiday visit.

“When the coffee packs were opened, they were found to contain heroin rather than coffee,” the NDLEA spokesperson stated, adding that the suspect attempted to disguise the drugs as legitimate consumer goods.

In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on January 20 intercepted two passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, who were travelling to Istanbul, Turkey, on a Turkish Airlines flight.

The duo was found in possession of 3,990 pills of controlled substances, including tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg, which were concealed inside food items packed in their luggage.

Elsewhere in Lagos, operatives of the NDLEA Marine Command, acting on credible intelligence, seized a wooden boat conveying 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms at Jakande Beach in Lekki during the early hours of Thursday, January 22.

Babafemi said the illicit shipment had just arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers swooped on the location at about 1:00 a.m., recovering the drugs and impounding the boat.

In Kaduna State, two suspects—Aminu Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28—were arrested following the interception of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives allegedly destined for Kano and Kaduna states. The explosives were seized from a commercial bus along the Kaduna–Zaria highway, while the suspects were apprehended in follow-up operations in both states.

The NDLEA also reported multiple arrests and seizures across several states, including Borno, Niger, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Oyo, Benue, Lagos, Delta, and Ondo. Items recovered during the operations included tramadol, skunk, pentazocine injections, cannabis seeds, and codeine syrup.

According to the agency, the coordinated nationwide operations form part of sustained efforts to dismantle drug trafficking syndicates, disrupt cross-border smuggling routes, and prevent illicit drugs from fueling criminal and terrorist activities.

While Nigeria continues to grapple with the challenges of drug trafficking within and beyond its borders, the NDLEA says it has intensified intelligence-driven strategies aimed at curbing drug importation, distribution, and local trafficking networks.