The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old South African woman with 36.65 kilogrammes of cocaine and a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother with 9.45kg of cannabis, popularly known as loud, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The arrests, announced on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, were part of a series of anti-drug operations that resulted in major seizures across several states.
The South African suspect, identified as Qhina Beauty, was arrested on October 7, 2026, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa through Doha.
According to the NDLEA, a search of her two travel bags uncovered 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg. The substance was reportedly concealed with dried pepper, wrapped in cellophane tape and packed into seven parcels.
The agency said the suspect told investigators she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 to collect the consignment. She allegedly disclosed that another South African woman recruited her and promised to pay her 20,000 South African rand upon successful delivery.
Further investigations reportedly led to the arrest of a 46-year-old Lagos-based car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, on October 14. The agency alleged that he received the South African woman at the airport and arranged accommodation for her before her planned departure.
In a separate operation on October 21, NDLEA operatives arrested Anetor Gloria Ubong, a 62-year-old Nigerian-American realtor based in Richmond, Texas, upon her arrival from Houston on a United Airlines flight.
A search of her checked-in luggage allegedly uncovered 18 parcels of loud weighing 9.45kg, concealed with gift-wrapping paper.
The agency said Ubong claimed 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 in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.
Beyond the airport arrests, the NDLEA reported additional seizures and arrests in Lagos, Delta, Kano, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba and Oyo states as part of its ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking.
The agency reiterated its commitment to intensifying intelligence-led operations against illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse across the country.
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