NDLEA Intercepts South African Woman at Abuja Airport with 5.75kg Heroin, Used Son as Cover

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended Ms. Will Jessica Ann, a 38-year-old South African national, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja. She was taken into custody after a search of her luggage revealed 14 large blocks of heroin, amounting to 5.75 kilograms, cleverly concealed within.

Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA, confirmed this development in a statement released on Sunday, July 12, 2026. According to Babafemi, the suspect exploited her three-year-old son, using him as a decoy to circumvent security protocols and avoid comprehensive screening processes.

The arrest occurred on Monday, July 6, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha to Abuja. Initially, Ms. Ann denied having any checked-in luggage. However, NDLEA operatives swiftly established that the baggage tags for two bags containing the illicit drugs perfectly matched the claim tags attached to her passport. Faced with this evidence, she recanted her earlier denial and admitted ownership of the bags, claiming she had forgotten she checked them in.

Ms. Ann informed investigators that her journey originated from Cambodia, with a stop in Doha before arriving in Abuja. Intelligence gathered by the agency suggests that she is a key member of a transnational drug trafficking organization. This syndicate, which also includes her husband or partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, is reportedly based in Cambodia and operates a drug network spanning the Cambodian-South African axis.