The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has warned international drug cartels that Nigeria will not serve as a transit or destination point for illicit drugs, following the conviction of a 38-year-old South African woman for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into the country.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said the agency would continue to strengthen airport interdiction, intelligence-led operations and international collaboration to dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks.
Marwa, who spoke following the conviction of Will Jessica Ann, said anyone, regardless of nationality, caught trafficking illicit drugs through Nigerian territory would face the full weight of the law.
He described the judgment as a demonstration of the Nigerian judiciary’s support for the agency’s fight against drug trafficking and a strong deterrent to international drug cartels seeking to use Nigeria as a corridor.
The convict was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on July 6, 2026, after 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilogrammes were found concealed in two suitcases.
She had arrived on Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha with her three-year-old son.
According to the agency, Ann initially denied travelling with checked-in luggage, but later admitted ownership after officers established that the baggage tags matched the claim tags attached to her passport.
NDLEA said intelligence gathered after her arrest indicated that she was part of a transnational drug trafficking organisation operating along the Cambodian-South African axis.
Her husband or partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, was subsequently arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, while allegedly attempting to traffic 3.2 kilogrammes of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.
Ann was arraigned before Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy to import and unlawful importation of 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin. She pleaded guilty to both counts.
In his judgment on Thursday, September 17, 2026, Justice Egwuatu sentenced her to 15 years imprisonment on count one and 25 years on count two.
Although the sentences amount to 40 years, they will run concurrently, meaning she will serve a maximum of 25 years in prison.
Marwa said the case also demonstrated the value of intelligence-sharing and collaboration between the NDLEA and its international partners, particularly following the arrest of Ann’s alleged partner in South Africa barely three weeks after her arrest in Nigeria.
He added that the swift progression of the case from arrest to conviction reflected the effectiveness of the agency’s operations and its collaboration with the Federal High Court.
The NDLEA Chairman reiterated that the agency would sustain its efforts to intercept illicit drugs at Nigeria’s airports and other entry points while working with international partners to disrupt transnational trafficking networks.