South Africans now leading drug trafficking cartels in Nigeria — NDLEA

By Kingsley Omonobi The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised the alarm over the growing involvement of South African nationals in drug trafficking networks operating in Nigeria, alleging that some are facilitating the movement of illicit substances through the country to other parts of the world. The agency said three South African nationals had been arrested in recent weeks with large consignments of heroin, cocaine and synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Loud.

The Assistant Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Francis Okogun, disclosed this on Thursday during a joint media briefing by defence, security and intelligence agencies at the Office of the National Security Adviser in Abuja. Okogun said the arrests were significant because of the quantities of illicit drugs recovered and the potential implications for Nigeria’s international reputation.

He said: “On the arrest of South African nationals in connection with drug trafficking, it is important to clarify that the issue has attracted attention because of the negative impression it could create about Nigeria internationally. “Our findings indicate that some foreign nationals are increasingly becoming involved in facilitating the movement of illicit drugs through Nigeria to other parts of the world.

Some are also involved in bringing such substances into the country. “For the period under review, three individuals were arrested. What makes these arrests particularly significant is the large quantities of drugs recovered, including heroin, cocaine and synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Loud.” He said the agency was conducting investigations to establish the intended destinations of the seized drugs and identify the networks behind the consignments.

“As you know, drug traffickers rarely volunteer information about their sponsors or the final destinations of their consignments. “We are therefore conducting painstaking investigations to establish the actual destinations of the drugs and identify the cartels responsible for the shipments,” he said. One of the recent arrests involved a 38-year-old South African woman, identified as Ms Will Jessica Ann, who was apprehended by NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin were allegedly discovered in her luggage.

The agency said the suspect concealed the drugs in 14 large blocks and allegedly used her three-year-old son as a cover to evade thorough security screening. She was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers aboard Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha to Abuja. According to the NDLEA, the suspect initially denied travelling with checked-in luggage but later admitted ownership of two bags after operatives established that their tags matched the claim tags attached to her passport.

The agency said she claimed she had forgotten that she checked in the two bags. In another case in October 2026, a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 32.74 kilogrammes of Thai Loud, a synthetic cannabis product, concealed in her luggage. The NDLEA said investigations were ongoing to uncover the wider trafficking networks and identify other individuals connected to the shipments.