NDLEA intercepts Brazilian lady with N3bn heroin at Abuja Airport

A 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. She was apprehended for attempting to smuggle 30.09 kilograms of white heroin, concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs, with an estimated street value of over N3 billion. In […]

A 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

She was apprehended for attempting to smuggle 30.09 kilograms of white heroin, concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs, with an estimated street value of over N3 billion.

In a statement, the Agency’s spokesperson Femi Babafemi, said the suspect—who works as a private security officer in Brazil—was arrested last Friday upon her arrival on Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following processed intelligence. A search of her two checked-in bags revealed 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee.

“When the coffee bags were opened, they were found to contain white substances that tested positive for heroin, weighing a total of 30.09 kilograms,” Babafemi stated. “This is the single largest heroin seizure ever recorded at the Abuja airport.”

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During her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the consignment under the guise of visiting Nigeria for a holiday.

 

Interceptions in Lagos, Kaduna, and Zaria

The Agency’s spokesperson added that at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted two passengers on Tuesday, January 20.

He said the suspects, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, were bound for Istanbul, Turkey, via a Turkish Airlines flight. They were found with 3,990 pills of Tapentadol (250mg) and Tramaking (225mg) concealed in food items, Babafemi said.

He added that, ‘’In the early hours of Thursday, January 22, operatives of the Agency’s Marine Command intercepted a wooden boat at Jakande Beach in Lekki, Lagos. The boat was loaded with 44 jumbo bags of “Ghana Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms. The shipment had recently arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers, acting on credible intelligence, stormed the location around 1am to seize the boat and its cargo.

Babafemi also disclosed the arrest of Aminu Ali Baba (20) and Abdulrasheed Abubakar (28) last Friday in connection with the seizure of 140 packets of explosives destined for Kano and Kaduna.

‘’The bags were intercepted in a commercial bus along the Kaduna–Zaria highway. Aminu was arrested at Karota Park in Kano, while Abdulrasheed was apprehended at Mando Park in Kaduna during follow-up operations,’’ Babafemi said.

He further disclosed that an intelligence-led raid on Thursday at Kwangila, Zaria LGA of Kaduna State, led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim (42) and Adejimoh Ismaila (44), adding that operatives recovered 120 kilograms of “skunk” (cannabis) from the duo.