NDLEA Arrests Brazilian In ‘Single Largest Heroin Seizure’ At Abuja Airport
Drugs, worth over ₦3 billion in street value, were allegedly concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 30-year-old Brazilian woman, Ingrid Benevides, with 30.09 kilograms of heroin.
Disclosing this in a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the drugs, worth over ₦3 billion in street value, were concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
He said the suspect was intercepted on Friday after arriving in Abuja on a Qatar Airways flight.
According to the anti-narcotics agency, Benevides, a private security officer in Brazil, was placed under intelligence-led surveillance before her arrest at the airport.
“When the coffee bags were opened, rather than containing the beverage, what was found inside were white substances that later tested positive for heroin, weighing a total of 30.09 kilograms, making it the single largest heroin seizure at the Abuja airport,” the statement reads.
“During her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the white heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays.”
He said a search of her two checked-in bags uncovered 21 factory-sealed packs of Brazilian coffee containing white substances that later tested positive for heroin.
