The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Ann, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The suspect was apprehended on Monday, July 6, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha. She was travelling with her three-year-old son at the time of her arrest.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect allegedly concealed 14 large blocks of heroin inside two suitcases. She initially denied travelling with any checked-in luggage.
However, in a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA said its operatives discovered that the baggage tags on the suitcases matched the claim tags attached to the suspect’s passport, leading her to admit ownership of the luggage.
“Though she initially denied travelling with check-in bags, after operatives were able to quickly establish that the two bags containing the drugs had tags which tallied with the claim tags attached to her passport, she recanted and admitted ownership of the bags, adding that she forgot she checked in the two bags,” the statement said.
The agency said the suspect claimed she travelled from Cambodia through Doha before arriving in Abuja.
The NDLEA further alleged that intelligence reports linked her to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Cambodia–South Africa route, alongside her husband and alleged accomplice, Jan Coenraad De Jager.
