Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a 30-year-old Brazilian woman, Ingrid Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with 30.09 kilograms of heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs valued at over N3bn.
The suspect, a private security officer in Brazil, was arrested on Friday, January 23, 2026, upon her arrival in Abuja aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following intelligence-led surveillance.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said a search of her two checked-in bags revealed 21 factory-sealed packs of Brazilian coffee, which, upon inspection, were found to contain white substances that later tested positive for heroin.
Babafemi said that during preliminary interrogation, Benevides claimed she brought the illicit drugs into Nigeria under the guise of visiting the country for holidays.
“When the coffee bags were opened, rather than containing the beverage, white substances were found inside. These later tested positive for heroin, weighing a total of 30.09 kilograms, making it the single largest heroin seizure at the Abuja airport,” the statement read.
“In her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays.”
In a related development, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on January 20 intercepted two passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, en route to Istanbul, Turkey.
He said the suspects were found with 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed in food items packed in their luggage.
“At the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, January 20, 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 tramaking 225mg concealed in food items packed in their bags,” he said.
Meanwhile, Babafemi said operatives of the agency’s Marine Command, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms at Jakande Beach, Lekki, Lagos, in the early hours of Thursday, January 22.
“The shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers, acting on credible intelligence, stormed the location around 1 a.m., recovered the consignment, and seized the boat,” he said.
In Kaduna State, Babafemi said two suspects, Aminu Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28, were arrested in connection with the interception of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives destined for Kano and Kaduna.
He said the bags were seized from a commercial bus along the Kaduna–Zaria highway, while the suspects were arrested in follow-up operations in Kano and Kaduna states.
Babafemi added that other intelligence-led operations across the country led to the arrest of multiple suspects and the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs, including tramadol, skunk, pentazocine injections, cannabis seeds, and codeine syrup, in Borno, Niger, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Oyo, Benue, Lagos, Delta, and Ondo states.
According to the NDLEA, the arrests and seizures are part of sustained efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks, curb cross-border smuggling, and cut off the supply of illicit drugs to criminal and terrorist groups across the country.
Nigeria continues to face significant challenges from drug trafficking both domestically and across its borders; however, the NDLEA has intensified intelligence-driven operations targeting drug importation, distribution networks, and local trafficking syndicates.
Credit: Punch