Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 30-year-old Brazilian woman, Ingrid Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with 30.09 kilograms of heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs valued at over N3bn.
The suspect, a private security officer in Brazil, was apprehended on Friday, January 23, 2026, when she arrived in Abuja aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following intelligence-led surveillance.
In a statement released on Sunday, the agency’s spokeswoman, Femi Babafemi, stated that a search of her two pieces of checked-in baggage uncovered 21 factory-sealed packs of Brazilian coffee, which, following inspection, were discovered to contain white particles that later tested positive for heroin.
Babafemi stated that during preliminary interrogation, Benevides confessed she imported the illegal substances into Nigeria under the premise of visiting the nation for vacation.
“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, making it the single largest heroin seizure at the Abuja airport,” the statement read.
“In her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays.”
In a similar incident, Babafemi stated that on January 20, NDLEA agents intercepted two passengers, Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko, on their way to Istanbul, Turkey.
He stated that the suspects were discovered with 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250 mg and tramadol 225 mg concealed in food products packed in their luggage.
“At the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, January 20, intercepted two passengers—Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko—who were heading to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight, with a total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250 mg and tramaking 225 mg concealed in food items packed in their bags,” he said.
Meanwhile, Babafemi stated that the operatives of the agency’s Marine Command, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms at Jakande Beach, Lekki, Lagos, in the early hours of Thursday, January 22.
“The shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers, acting on credible intelligence, stormed the location around 1 a.m., recovered the consignment, and seized the boat,” he said.
