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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian woman, Ms Ingrid Rosa Benevides, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja over an attempt to smuggle a large consignment of heroin into the country.
The suspect was taken into custody on Friday, January 23, 2026, shortly after her arrival in Abuja aboard a Qatar Airways flight, QR1431. The arrest, the agency said, followed intelligence-driven surveillance.
In a statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, officers discovered suspicious items while searching two suitcases checked in by the Brazilian national, who is a private security operative in her home country.
The luggage was found to contain 21 sealed packs labelled as Brazilian coffee. However, further inspection revealed that the packs held a white substance which laboratory tests later confirmed to be heroin, with a combined weight of 30.09 kilograms.
The NDLEA said the illicit drugs, estimated to be worth more than N3 billion on the streets, represent the largest single heroin seizure ever recorded at the Abuja airport.
During initial questioning, Benevides told investigators that she travelled to Nigeria under the pretext of a holiday, while allegedly transporting the prohibited consignment.
The agency reiterated its resolve to strengthen intelligence-led checks at airports and other entry points to curb transnational drug trafficking and safeguard the country from the inflow of illicit substances.
NDLEA arrests Brazilian woman with 30kg of heroin at Abuja airport
