Koko Maxwella 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) records a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s anti-narcotics war with the arrest of a Brazilian national carrying heroin valued at over ₦3 billion at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
NDLEA operatives intercept Ingrid Rosa Benevides, a 30-year-old Brazilian private security officer, after uncovering 30.09 kilograms of heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs inside her luggage. The suspect arrives on a Qatar Airways flight from Brazil and claims she is visiting Nigeria on holiday.
The agency describes the seizure as the largest single heroin interception ever recorded at the Abuja airport, underscoring Nigeria’s growing role as both a transit and destination point for international drug trafficking.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers arrest two outbound passengers heading to Istanbul at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport with 3,990 pills of tapentadol and tramaking, concealed inside food items.
Meanwhile, operatives of the NDLEA Marine Command seize 1,848 kilogrammes of Ghana Loud cannabis from a wooden boat at Jakande Beach, Lekki, disrupting a major supply route.
Beyond narcotics, the agency also foils the movement of 140 packets of explosives along the Kaduna–Zaria highway, arresting two suspects allegedly transporting the materials to Kano and Kaduna states.
Additional operations across Kaduna, Borno, Kwara, Niger, Ekiti and Edo states lead to multiple arrests and seizures, including the arrest of a village head in Edo with over 800 kilograms of cannabis-related substances.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commends the officers and urges sustained pressure on trafficking networks alongside intensified public sensitisation under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
About the Author
Mirian Gom 
Korede Abdullah 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Otamere Gladness