SUNTV Global Channel | January 25, 2026
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ingrid Rosa Benevides, after intercepting a massive 30.09 kilograms of heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The suspect, a private security officer in Brazil, was apprehended on Friday, January 23, 2026, shortly after arriving in Nigeria aboard a Qatar Airways flight, QR1431. NDLEA officials said the arrest followed “processed intelligence” that placed Benevides under surveillance before her arrival.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a thorough search of the suspect’s two checked-in bags led to the discovery of 21 factory-sealed packs labelled as Brazilian coffee. Further examination, however, revealed that the packages contained a white powdery substance which tested positive for heroin.
The total weight of the seized narcotics was put at 30.09 kilograms, with an estimated street value exceeding ₦3 billion. NDLEA described the seizure as the single largest heroin interception ever recorded at the Abuja airport.
During preliminary interrogation, Benevides reportedly told investigators she travelled to Nigeria under the guise of a holiday, while allegedly acting as a courier for an international drug trafficking syndicate.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, January 20, intercepted two passengers — Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko — who were en route to Istanbul, Turkey, on a Turkish Airlines flight. The suspects were found with a combined total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed inside food items packed in their luggage.
Meanwhile, in the early hours of Thursday, January 22, NDLEA officers attached to the Marine Command intercepted a wooden boat conveying 44 jumbo bags of “Ghana Loud,” a high-potency strain of cannabis, at Jakande Beach in Lekki, Lagos State. The cannabis consignment, weighing 1,848 kilograms, was reportedly smuggled into Nigeria from Ghana before it was seized at about 1:00am, along with the boat used for transportation.
Babafemi said the series of arrests and seizures underscore the agency’s determination to dismantle both international and local drug trafficking networks operating through Nigeria’s airports, borders and waterways.
He added that investigations into all the cases are ongoing, and that the suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of preliminary inquiries.
— SUNTV Global Channel
