NDLEA Nabs Brazilian with N3B Heroin, Explosives, Cannabis Empire in Mega Raids

NDLEA Nabs Brazilian with N3B Heroin, Explosives, Cannabis Empire in Mega Raids

By Linda Ike

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian lady, Ingrid Rosa Benevides at Abuja airport with Nigeria’s largest heroin seizure: of 30.09kg worth over N3 billion in street value. hidden in coffee packs on a Qatar flight.

The suspect who works as a private security officer in Brazil was arrested upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following processed intelligence.

“After her arrest, a search was conducted on her two checked-in bags where 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee were found.
“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.” The agency stated.

During her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the white heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on 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.

Meanwhile, operatives of the Marine Command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday,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.

The shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence stormed the location around 1am, recovered the consignment and the boat.

Also, 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.

The bags were intercepted in a commercial bus along Kaduna- Zaria highway, Zaria, while Aminu Ali Baba was arrested at Karota park in Kano and Abdulrasheed Abubakar nabbed at Mando park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations.

An intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA Kaduna on Thursday, led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim, 42, and Adejimoh Ismaila, 44, with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.

NDLEA Operatives also intercepted Borno terror tramadol (179k pills), Edo village head with 681kg skunk/seeds, 72-year-old grandpa and dealer in Ekiti (62kg), 1,500kg skunk in Ondo, Delta codeine/tramadol, Lagos tramadol/opioids, FCT/Benue cannabis.

CG Marwa praised commands, urged sustained WADA sensitization in schools and communities across the country.