Nigerian agents arrest African woman for heroin smuggling

Nigerian anti-narcotics agents have arrested a South African woman for allegedly smuggling heroin into the country using her three-year-old son as a cover, part of a series of major drug busts announced this week. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said 38-year-old Will Jessica Ann was arrested on Monday, July 6, 2026, during passenger clearance at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

According to NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, the suspect arrived aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha and initially denied traveling with any checked luggage. Officers, acting on intelligence, matched two unattended suitcases containing 14 large blocks of heroin, weighing 5.75 kilograms, to baggage claim tags on her passport. Babafemi stated that the suspect later admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in. The agency said her young son's presence appeared to be a deliberate tactic to lower security suspicion.

Investigators said the woman traveled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja and is believed to be part of a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating between Cambodia and South Africa. Preliminary...