The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a major breakthrough in its intensified war against narcotics with the arrest of a 30-year-old Brazilian national, Ingrid Rosa Benevides, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Benevides, a private security officer, was apprehended on Friday shortly after arriving in Nigeria aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha following intelligence-led surveillance. A thorough search of her two checked-in suitcases revealed 21 factory-sealed packs of Brazilian coffee, which were later found to contain 30.09 kilograms of white heroin. Laboratory tests confirmed the substance, with NDLEA estimating its street value at over ₦3 billion, the largest single heroin seizure ever recorded at the Abuja airport. The suspect reportedly claimed she was visiting Nigeria on holiday.

Beyond Abuja, NDLEA operatives also made significant interceptions at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, where two outbound passengers bound for Istanbul were caught with 3,990 pills of tramadol and tapentadol concealed in food items. At Jakande Beach in Lekki, officers from the Marine Command intercepted a wooden boat carrying 1,848 kilograms of Ghana Loud cannabis smuggled into Nigeria.

In another operation, NDLEA officers along the Kaduna–Zaria highway arrested two suspects transporting 140 packets of explosives hidden inside a commercial bus, allegedly destined for Kano and Kaduna states. Subsequent raids and intelligence-driven arrests followed in Kaduna, Borno, Kwara, Niger, Ekiti, Edo, and several other states, leading to the seizure of large quantities of tramadol, diazepam, skunk cannabis, codeine syrup, and other illicit substances.

Complementing enforcement actions, the agency continues to intensify its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools, religious centres, and communities nationwide. Commending officers for their commitment, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.) urged them to sustain pressure on drug cartels while strengthening demand-reduction initiatives to curb substance abuse across Nigeria.