The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, identified as Will Jessica Ann, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
In a statement issued by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect was apprehended on Monday, July 6, 2026, after arriving aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha. She was travelling with her three-year-old son.
According to the NDLEA, operatives intercepted two suitcases containing 14 large blocks of heroin concealed inside the luggage. The agency said the suspect initially denied travelling with any checked baggage.
However, further investigations revealed that the luggage tags on the suitcases matched the claim tags attached to her passport. Confronted with the evidence, the suspect reportedly admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.
The NDLEA disclosed that the suspect told investigators she travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja.
The agency also alleged that intelligence reports linked the suspect and her husband, Jan Coenraad De Jager, to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route.
The NDLEA said investigations into the case are ongoing as efforts continue to dismantle the international drug trafficking network.
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