38-Year-Old South African Woman Arrested at Abuja Airport for Smuggling 5.75kg of Heroin with Her Three-Year-Old Son

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African national, identified as Will Ann, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while travelling with her three-year-old son.

According to the agency, the suspect was arrested on July 6 during the inward clearance of passengers aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha.

NDLEA said the woman allegedly concealed 14 large blocks of heroin inside two suitcases. During initial questioning, she reportedly denied travelling with any checked-in luggage.

However, in a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives discovered that the baggage tags on the suitcases matched the claim tags attached to the suspect’s passport.

The agency said this prompted her to admit ownership of the bags.

The statement read:

“Though she initially denied travelling with check-in bags, after operatives were able to quickly establish that the two bags containing the drugs had tags which tallied with the claim tags attached to her passport, she recanted and admitted ownership of the bags, adding that she forgot she checked in the two bags.”

NDLEA further alleged that intelligence gathered during the investigation indicated that the suspect is part of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route alongside her husband and alleged accomplice, Jan Coenraad De Jager.

The anti-narcotics agency said investigations into the case are ongoing.