A large-scale drug smuggling operation was thwarted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended a 30-year-old Brazilian national with 30.09 kilograms of heroin hidden inside factory-packaged coffee products worth over N3 billion.
The suspect, Ingrid Benevides, was taken into custody on Friday, January 23, 2026, shortly after arriving in Abuja aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following targeted, intelligence-driven monitoring. A detailed inspection of her luggage uncovered 21 sealed packs of Brazilian coffee that were discovered to contain heroin, marking the biggest heroin haul ever recorded at the Abuja airport.
Confirming the arrest, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the suspect attempted to disguise the consignment as personal luggage.
“When the coffee packs were opened, officers found white substances instead of the beverage, which later tested positive for heroin weighing 30.09 kilograms,” Babafemi said.
He added that the suspect claimed she was visiting Nigeria on holiday.
“During preliminary interrogation, the suspect alleged that she brought the drugs into the country under the guise of coming for a vacation,” he said.
In a related operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted two outbound passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, who were bound for Istanbul, Turkey.
“The suspects were intercepted with a total of 3,990 tablets of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed inside food items packed in their luggage,” Babafemi disclosed.
The agency also recorded a major recovery along the Lekki coastline, where officers of its Marine Command seized a wooden boat conveying 44 jumbo sacks of Ghana Loud cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms at Jakande Beach in the early hours of January 22.
“The boat had barely arrived from Ghana when our operatives, acting on credible intelligence, moved in and recovered the entire consignment,” Babafemi said.
In Kaduna State, further intelligence-led operations led to the seizure of two bags containing 140 parcels of explosives recovered from a commercial vehicle along the Kaduna–Zaria expressway.
“Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of two suspects in Kano and Kaduna states,” he added.
Babafemi said similar operations carried out across several states resulted in multiple arrests and seizures of illicit drugs.
“These operations are part of our sustained efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks, disrupt cross-border smuggling and prevent illicit drugs from getting into the hands of criminal and terrorist groups,” he said.