Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ingrid Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with over 30 kilograms of heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs, valued at more than N3 billion.
Benevides, identified as a private security officer in Brazil, was apprehended on Friday, January 23, 2026, shortly after arriving in Abuja aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431. Her arrest followed intelligence-led surveillance by NDLEA officers.
Confirming the development in a statement on Sunday, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said a thorough search of the suspect’s two checked-in bags uncovered 21 sealed packs of Brazilian coffee. Further inspection revealed that the packages contained white substances, which later tested positive for heroin.
Babafemi disclosed that the drugs weighed a total of 30.09 kilograms, describing the seizure as the largest single heroin interception ever recorded at the Abuja airport.
“When the coffee bags were opened, rather than containing the beverage, white substances were found inside. These later tested positive for heroin, weighing a total of 30.09 kilograms,” he said.
During preliminary interrogation, the suspect reportedly claimed she brought the illicit consignment into Nigeria under the guise of visiting the country for holidays.
In a related operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA officers on January 20 intercepted two passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, who were travelling to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight.
According to Babafemi, the suspects were found with 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed inside food items packed in their luggage.
“At MMIA, Ikeja, NDLEA operatives intercepted two passengers heading to Istanbul with a total of 3,990 pills of controlled drugs hidden in food items,” he said.
Meanwhile, operatives of the agency’s Marine Command, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a wooden boat conveying 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud cannabis weighing about 1,848 kilograms at Jakande Beach, Lekki, Lagos, in the early hours of Thursday, January 22.
Babafemi said the consignment had just arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers stormed the area around 1 a.m., seized the drugs and impounded the boat used for transportation.
In Kaduna State, two suspects — Aminu Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28 — were arrested in connection with the interception of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives allegedly destined for Kano and Kaduna. The bags were seized from a commercial bus along the Kaduna–Zaria highway, while the suspects were picked up during follow-up operations in both states.
The NDLEA spokesperson added that further intelligence-driven raids across the country led to multiple arrests and the recovery of large quantities of illicit substances, including tramadol, skunk, pentazocine injections, cannabis seeds and codeine syrup in Borno, Niger, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Oyo, Benue, Lagos, Delta and Ondo states.
Babafemi said the coordinated operations form part of the agency’s sustained efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks, curb cross-border smuggling and cut off drug supply channels linked to criminal and terrorist activities.
He reaffirmed the NDLEA’s commitment to strengthening intelligence-led enforcement nationwide as Nigeria continues to battle drug trafficking challenges both locally and internationally.
