Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, a 30-year-old Brazilian lady, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for bringing into Nigeria a total of 30.09 kilograms of white heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs worth over N3 billion in street value.
Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Babafemi said the suspect, who works as a private security officer in Brazil, was arrested at the Abuja airport on Friday, 23rd January 2026, upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following processed intelligence.
The NDLEA Spokesman said after her arrest, a search was conducted on her two checked-in bags, where 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee were found.
He said when the coffee bags were opened, rather than containing the beverage, what was found inside were white substances that later tested positive for heroin, weighing a total of 30.09 kilograms, making it the single largest heroin seizure at the Abuja airport.
Babafemi said during her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the white heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays.
He also said at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 20th January, intercepted two passengers: Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, who were heading to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight with a total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramadol 225mg concealed in food items packed in their bags.
He added that meanwhile, operatives of the Marine Command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday, 22nd January, intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms, at the Jakande beach in Lekki, Lagos.
Babafemi said the shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers, acting on credible intelligence, stormed the location around 1 am, recovered the consignment and the boat.
He said two suspects: Aminu Ali Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28, were on Friday 23rd January arrested by NDLEA operatives in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna.
Babafemi said the bags were intercepted in a commercial bus along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, Zaria, while Aminu Ali Baba was arrested at Karota Park in Kano, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar was nabbed at Mando Park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations.
The statement reads, “An intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA, Kaduna, on Thursday, 22nd January, led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim, 42, and Adejimoh Ismaila, 44, with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.
“As part of efforts to disrupt the supply chain of illicit drugs to terror groups, NDLEA operatives in Borno state on Wednesday, 21st January, intercepted 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam concealed in sacks of charcoal and animal feeds in a public transport car coming from Potiskum, Yobe. A follow-up operation at Bulabulin, Maiduguri, led to the arrest of the owner, Rabiu Imam, 32.
“A female suspect, Mrs. Eze Cynthia Chioma, was arrested on Friday, 23rd January, in Mokwa, Niger state, in a follow-up operation by NDLEA operatives following the seizure of her consignment of 78,500 pills of tramadol the same day at Bode Saadu, Kwara state, in a truck coming from Lagos. Her husband, currently remanded in prison and facing trial, was arrested for the same drug trafficking offence last year.
“In Ekiti, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 24th January arrested 72-year-old Afolalu Joseph at his 15 Aramoko road, Mushin, Ilawe-Ekiti, and Abu Bunmi (alias Go Slow), 45, at New Jerusalem area, Erijinyan road, Ilawe-Ekiti, for illicit drug dealing. A total of 62 kilograms of skunk were recovered from the duo.”
Babafemi said a village head, Chief James Abamu, and another suspect, Aboy Egah Abamu, have been taken into custody by the Edo state Command of NDLEA following their arrest and prompt transfer to the Agency by soldiers of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Benin city, after a raid operation at Lagos camp Ilushi in Esan South East LGA, where 681kg skunk and 181kg cannabis seeds were recovered from them on Wednesday, 21st January.
He said while the trio of Abba Hassan, Anas Moh’d Auwal and Sadik Ismail were arrested in Sabon Gari area of Kano on Tuesday 20th January with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, the duo of Olajumoke Ridwan and Baruwa Ibukun were nabbed at Paris lounge, Ring road, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday 22nd January with 181.5 litres of skuchies, a mixture skunk and other illicit substances recovered from them.
“In Benue state, a female suspect, Janet Iornongu, was arrested at Yes Ikyuan village, Guma LGA, with 210kg skunk, while a total of 254.5kg of the same psychoactive substance was seized from Anita Job along Abaji -Toto road, FCT, on Thursday, 22nd January. A total of 39,800 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered from two suspects: Hamisu Misbahu and Chima Obi at Alaba Rago, Mile 2 area of Lagos on Monday, 19th January.
“No fewer than 30,003 pills of tramadol, molly and other opioids as well as 20 litres of codeine syrup were seized from a suspect Chinyecherem Cyprian Ugwu by NDLEA officers along Sapele road Warri, Delta state on Thursday 22nd January, while Kayode Obameye, 57, was nabbed at Mobil roundabout, Akure, Ondo state with 1,500 kilograms of skunk recovered from him on Friday 23rd January.
“Across all Commands and formations of the Agency nationwide, NDLEA officers continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities, among others, in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Taraba state command of NDLEA, conducts WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo, Osun state command of NDLEA delivers WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Beloved Montessori Group of Schools, Ede, Osun state; Owerri City Junior Secondary School, Owerri, Imo; Government Day Secondary School, Otukpo, Benue; and Darawa Primary School, Dutsinma, Katsina, among others.
“While commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Marine, Borno, Jigawa, Kwara, Kaduna, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Benue, Lagos, and Ondo Commands for the arrests, seizures, and their dexterity, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to maintain the current standard of professionalism in all their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities,” the statement reads.
