Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for attempting to smuggle 30.09 kilograms of heroin valued at over N3 billion into Nigeria.
Benevides, a private security officer in Brazil, was apprehended on Friday, January 23, 2026, upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, following actionable intelligence. A search of her two checked-in bags revealed 21 factory-sealed coffee packs, which were later found to contain heroin instead of coffee. The seizure is the largest single heroin interception ever recorded at the Abuja airport. During preliminary interrogation, the suspect claimed she came to Nigeria for a holiday.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, intercepted two passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, on Tuesday, January 20, as they prepared to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul. The suspects were found with 3,990 pills of tapentadol and tramaking concealed in food items.
Also in Lagos, officers of the Agency’s Marine Command intercepted a wooden boat at Jakande Beach, Lekki, in the early hours of Thursday, January 22, recovering 1,848 kilograms of Ghana Loud cannabis packed in 44 jumbo bags shortly after the shipment arrived from Ghana.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives arrested Aminu Ali Baba (20) and Abdulrasheed Abubakar (28) in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna. The explosives were intercepted along the Kaduna–Zaria highway, while the suspects were later tracked and arrested in Kano and Kaduna respectively. Another raid in Zaria LGA led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim (42) and Adejmoh Ismaila (44) with 120kg of skunk.
As part of efforts to cut off drug supply routes to terror groups, NDLEA officers in Borno State intercepted 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam concealed in sacks of charcoal and animal feed in a vehicle from Yobe State. A follow-up operation in Maiduguri led to the arrest of the owner, Rabiu Imam (32).
Across several states, additional arrests and seizures were recorded, including:
- 78,500 tramadol pills linked to Mrs. Eze Cynthia Chioma in Kwara and Niger States;
- 62kg of skunk seized from a 72-year-old suspect and an accomplice in Ekiti;
- Over 860kg of skunk and cannabis seeds recovered from a village head and another suspect in Edo State;
- 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine seized in Kano;
- 181.5 litres of “skuchies” recovered in Oyo State;
- Large quantities of skunk and opioids intercepted in Benue, Delta, Ondo, FCT and Lagos States.
Meanwhile, the Agency said it sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools and communities across multiple states during the week.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged personnel nationwide to maintain professionalism and intensify efforts in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.