NDLEA Foils Major Heroin Smuggling Attempt at Abuja Airport — Brazilian Woman Arrested

In what Nigerian authorities are calling a significant blow against international drug trafficking, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian woman, Ingrid Rosa Benevides, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with 30.09 kilograms of heroin concealed inside factory-sealed coffee packs — an interception valued at over ₦3 billion on the street. 

Benevides, who works as a private security officer in Brazil, was stopped on January 23, 2026 upon arrival aboard a Qatar Airways flight QR1431. The arrest followed intelligence-led surveillance by NDLEA officers. A search of her checked luggage revealed 21 sealed packets of Brazilian coffee, which, upon inspection, turned out to contain large quantities of white heroin rather than the expected beverage. 

Officials say this haul — 30.09 kg — marks the largest single heroin seizure at Abuja’s airport to date, underscoring the growing efforts by Nigerian authorities to disrupt narcotics supply chains that span continents. During her initial interview, the suspect claimed she was in Nigeria ostensibly for a holiday. 

In the same broader campaign, NDLEA operatives have been active nationwide. At Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, two passengers were intercepted with nearly 4,000 pills of powerful painkillers hidden in food items. The agency’s Marine Command also seized 1,848 kg of Ghana Loud cannabis from a boat in Lekki. Additional arrests and seizures include explosives on the Kaduna–Zaria highway and hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs across several states. 

The NDLEA continues to press its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, combining enforcement with community outreach and intelligence work to curtail the flow of illegal narcotics into and through Nigeria.