NDLEA Intercepts Brazilian Woman With N3bn Heroin Hidden In Coffee Packs At Abuja Airport; Seizes Explosives Bound For Kano, Kaduna As Scores Arrested Nationwide

Abuja, Nigeria- Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian woman, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, for attempting to smuggle into Nigeria 30.09 kilograms of heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs, with an estimated street value of over N3 billion.

The arrest, which NDLEA described as the single largest heroin seizure ever recorded at the Abuja airport, was made on Friday, January 23, 2026, following credible and processed intelligence.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said that the suspect was apprehended upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Brazil.

Ms. Benevides, who works as a private security officer in Brazil, was taken into custody after NDLEA operatives subjected her luggage to thorough screening.

A search of her two checked-in bags led to the discovery of 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee.

However, when the packs were opened, officers found that instead of coffee, they contained white substances which later tested positive for heroin, with a total weight of 30.09 kilograms.

During preliminary interrogation, the suspect claimed she brought the illicit consignment under the pretext of visiting Nigeria for holidays, a claim NDLEA officials say is part of a familiar trafficking pattern involving couriers recruited by international drug cartels.

Meanwhile, 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 attempting to travel to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight.

A search of their luggage revealed 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg, carefully concealed inside food items packed in their bags.

In another major operation, officers of the NDLEA Marine Command intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 1,848 kilograms.

The interception took place in the early hours of Thursday, January 22, at Jakande Beach, Lekki, Lagos. The boat had just arrived from Ghana when NDLEA operatives, acting on actionable intelligence, stormed the location at about 1am, recovered the drug consignment and seized the vessel.

The agency also recorded a significant breakthrough in efforts to prevent the movement of dangerous materials linked to criminal and terror activities.

Two suspects, Aminu Ali Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28, were arrested on Friday, January 23, in connection with the interception of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna.

The explosives were intercepted in a commercial bus along the Kaduna–Zaria highway in Zaria. Aminu Ali Baba was later arrested at Karota Park in Kano, while Abdulrasheed Abubakar was nabbed at Mando Park in Kaduna during swift follow-up operations.

In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, January 24, arrested a 72-year-old man, Afolalu Joseph, at his residence on Aramoko Road, Ilawe-Ekiti, alongside Abu Bunmi, also known as “Go Slow,” aged 45, at the New Jerusalem area along Erijinyan Road, Ilawe-Ekiti.

A total of 62 kilograms of skunk was recovered from the duo, whom NDLEA described as key players in local drug distribution networks.

In Edo State, a village head, Chief James Abamu, and another suspect, Aboy Egah Abamu, were taken into custody following a raid at Lagos Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South East Local Government Area.

The suspects were arrested and promptly handed over to NDLEA by soldiers of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Benin City, after a raid on Wednesday, January 21, which led to the recovery of 681 kilograms of skunk and 181 kilograms of cannabis seeds.

Further arrests were recorded across the country. In Kano State, Abba Hassan, Anas Moh’d Auwal and Sadik Ismail were arrested on Tuesday, January 20, in the Sabon Gari area with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection.