NDLEA Arrests South African Woman With 36.65kg of Cocaine at Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old South African woman, Qhina Beauty, with 36.65 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The agency also arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American woman, Anetor Gloria Ubong, with 9.45 kilogrammes of high-grade cannabis known as loud, allegedly brought into Nigeria from the United States.

The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests in a statement on Sunday, detailing a series of operations targeting drug trafficking networks in Lagos and other parts of the country.

Babafemi said Beauty was arrested on October 7 at the airport’s departure hall while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.

A search of her two travelling bags led to the recovery of 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65 kilogrammes. The drugs were reportedly mixed with dried pepper, wrapped in cellophane tape and packed into seven separate parcels.

During questioning, Beauty allegedly told investigators that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to collect the consignment. She reportedly said another South African woman recruited her and promised to pay her 20,000 South African rand upon successful delivery.

She also identified two other alleged members of the trafficking network, one based in the United States and the other a Lagos-based car dealer.

Babafemi said further investigations led to the arrest of the 46-year-old dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, on October 14 at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following surveillance at his residence in Shasha.

The suspect allegedly admitted receiving Beauty at the airport, accommodating her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and later moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.

In a separate operation at the Lagos airport on October 21, NDLEA operatives arrested Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, who holds Nigerian and United States passports.

The agency said she was intercepted after arriving on a United Airlines flight from Houston. A search of her two checked-in boxes uncovered 18 parcels of loud weighing 9.45 kilogrammes, concealed with gift-wrapping paper.

Ubong reportedly told investigators that her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the package to her home in the United States for onward delivery to her daughter’s fiancé in Nigeria.

Beyond the airport arrests, the NDLEA reported additional seizures and arrests in several states, including Lagos, Delta, Kano, Taraba, Niger, Bauchi, Ondo, Edo and Oyo.

The agency said the operations formed part of its continuing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks, seize illicit substances and apprehend suspects involved in the distribution of narcotics and controlled pharmaceutical products.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended personnel involved in the operations for their vigilance and intelligence-led approach. He urged officers nationwide to sustain efforts to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse.