South African Woman Held After Allegedly Using 3-Year-Old Son as Heroin Smuggling Cover

A 38-year-old South African woman, Will Jessica Ann, allegedly used her three-year-old son as cover in an attempt to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria before she was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The agency said the suspect travelled with her three-year-old son in what investigators believe was an attempt to avoid suspicion during the operation.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the suspect was arrested on Monday, July 6, while operatives screened passengers arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha.

Babafemi said officers recovered 14 blocks of heroin concealed inside the suspect's checked luggage.

Investigators said the woman initially denied travelling with any checked baggage. However, operatives reportedly matched the baggage claim tags to her passport before confronting her with the evidence.

She subsequently admitted ownership of the luggage, claiming she had forgotten she checked it in before boarding the flight.

The suspect reportedly told investigators she travelled from Cambodia through Doha before arriving in Abuja.

According to the NDLEA, preliminary intelligence indicates that she is linked to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate allegedly operated alongside her husband, Jan Coenraad De Jager, along the Cambodia–South Africa drug route.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, arrested a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, Onyechere Daniel Chinadu, after he arrived from Madagascar through Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

A search of his backpack uncovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed inside clothing.

The agency said the suspect, who claimed to have worked as an okada rider in Lagos' Oke-Afo area for 15 years, confessed that he was recruited into drug trafficking by an associate based in Uganda.

According to Babafemi, Onyechere admitted swallowing additional drug pellets in Uganda before travelling to Madagascar.

He said the suspect was denied entry into Madagascar by immigration authorities and was subsequently redirected to Lagos by his alleged sponsor, identified as Ozor Igo.

Placed under observation for three days, the suspect excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total quantity recovered to 100 wraps weighing 1.715 kilograms.

The NDLEA also announced the interception of a massive cannabis shipment at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.

Working alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, operatives seized 8,287 nylon bags of a high-grade cannabis strain known as "Loud," weighing 4,143.5 kilograms.

The agency estimated the street value of the consignment at more than ₦10.3 billion.

According to the NDLEA, the shipment originated from Montreal, Canada, and was intercepted on Friday, July 10, following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the agency's Maritime Intelligence Unit.

In another operation, NDLEA officers foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a Lagos-based courier company.

The agency said the interception formed part of its ongoing efforts to disrupt international drug trafficking networks using Nigeria as a transit route.

Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign across the country.

The agency conducted sensitisation programmes in schools across Ebonyi, Kano, Ekiti and Ogun states to educate students on the dangers of drug abuse.

It also disclosed that officials from its Zone 14 Command paid an advocacy visit to Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara in Port Harcourt as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration in the fight against illicit drugs.

NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the various operations and urged personnel across the country to sustain the agency's offensive against drug trafficking networks.

He also encouraged officers to remain vigilant as the agency intensifies efforts to reduce the supply and abuse of illicit drugs nationwide.