The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Thursday disclosed that South African nationals were now leading drug trafficking cartels operating in Nigeria.
The Assistant Director, Media and Advocacy of the agency, Mr Francis Okogun, disclosed this during a joint media briefing by defence, security and intelligence agencies at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja.
Okogun, who explained that South African nationals were facilitating the movement of illicit drugs through Nigeria to other parts of the world, added that three South Africans had so far been arrested with large quantities of heroin, cocaine and synthetic cannabis.
According to him, ‘On the arrest of South African nationals in connection with drug trafficking, it is important to clarify that the issue has attracted attention because of the negative impression it could create about Nigeria internationally.
‘Our findings indicate that some foreign nationals are increasingly becoming involved in facilitating the movement of illicit drugs through Nigeria to other parts of the world. Some are also involved in bringing such substances into the country.
‘For the period under review, three individuals were arrested. What makes these arrests particularly significant is the large quantities of drugs recovered, including heroin, cocaine and synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Loud.’
He said the individuals arrested were suspected of working on behalf of international drug cartels.
‘As you know, drug traffickers rarely volunteer information about their sponsors or the final destinations of their consignments.
‘We are therefore conducting painstaking investigations to establish the actual destinations of the drugs and identify the cartels responsible for the shipments.’
Recall that a 38-year-old South African woman, Ms Will Jessica Ann, was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after she was found to have concealed 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilogrammes in her luggage. She allegedly used her three-year-old son as a cover to beat security checks and evade thorough screening.
Also, in October 2026, a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 32.74 kilogrammes of ‘Thai Loud’ (synthetic cannabis) concealed in her luggage.
On July 6, 2026, NDLEA operatives arrested 38-year-old South African woman Will Jessica Ann at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after she was found to have concealed 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilogrammes in her luggage, allegedly using her three-year-old son as a cover to evade thorough security screening.
The suspect was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha to Abuja.
Although she initially denied travelling with check-in bags, operatives established that the two bags containing the drugs had tags matching the claim tags attached to her passport. She then admitted ownership of the bags, adding that she had forgotten she checked in the two bags.