NDLEA Seizes 36.65kg of Cocaine, Arrests South African Woman and US-Based Nigerian Grandmother

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old South African woman with 36.65 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, alongside a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother allegedly found with 9.45 kilogrammes of cannabis.

The arrests formed part of a nationwide crackdown that also uncovered large consignments of cannabis, tramadol, codeine syrup and other illicit substances across several states.

The NDLEA said the South African suspect, identified as Qhina Beauty, was arrested on October 7 while allegedly preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.

The cocaine was reportedly concealed in her luggage.

Further investigations led to the arrest of a Lagos-based car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, over his alleged connection to the drug trafficking operation.

In a separate operation, operatives arrested 62-year-old Nigerian-American realtor Anetor Gloria Ubong after she arrived from Houston, United States, with 9.45 kilogrammes of cannabis, popularly known as loud, concealed in a box.

The agency’s operations also extended to other parts of the country, resulting in multiple arrests and substantial drug seizures.

In Delta State, NDLEA operatives arrested a physically challenged woman, Helen Bakporo Samson, with six kilogrammes of cannabis. Another suspect was apprehended with thousands of tramadol capsules, codeine syrup and other pharmaceutical opioids.

In Kano State, operatives seized nearly 100 kilogrammes of cannabis, while more than 60 kilogrammes were recovered in Taraba State and another 379 kilogrammes in Bauchi State.

In Ondo State, the agency recovered 583 kilogrammes of abandoned cannabis, while two cannabis farms in Edo State were destroyed. The farms were estimated to have a combined yield of more than two tonnes of the illicit substance.

Additional operations in Niger, Oyo and Lagos states resulted in further arrests and seizures of prohibited drugs.

Beyond its enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it had continued its War Against Drug Abuse campaign in schools and communities as part of efforts to tackle substance abuse and discourage illicit drug consumption.

The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.

Marwa’s charge comes amid intensified efforts by the agency to dismantle drug trafficking networks, intercept illicit substances and prevent Nigeria from being used as a transit route for international drug trafficking.