RismadarVoice Reporters
October 25, 2026
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old South African woman, Qhina Beauty, over an alleged attempt to traffic 36.65 kilogrammes of cocaine through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The agency also arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother, Anetor Gloria Ubong, in a separate operation involving 9.45 kilogrammes of high-grade cannabis.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to the agency, Beauty was arrested on October 7 while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa through Doha.
A search of her luggage reportedly uncovered 30 blocks of cocaine concealed with dried pepper and wrapped in seven parcels.
Investigators alleged that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 to collect the consignment after being promised 20,000 South African rand for its delivery.
Further investigations led to the arrest of a Lagos-based car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, 46, on October 14.
The NDLEA alleged that Umunnakwe arranged Beauty’s accommodation and transportation during her stay in Lagos.
In a separate operation on October 21, operatives arrested Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, after she arrived from Houston aboard a United Airlines flight.
The agency said officers discovered 18 parcels of cannabis weighing 9.45 kilogrammes concealed in gift-wrapped packages.
Ubong reportedly told investigators that the package had been given to her by family members in the United States for delivery to someone in Nigeria.
The NDLEA also announced additional arrests and seizures across several states.
In Lagos, operatives arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat in Eti-Osa on October 23, recovering thousands of diazepam and tramadol tablets, cannabis and 230.25 litres of a substance known as skuchies.
In Delta State, 51-year-old Peter Ugochukwu was arrested in Warri in connection with quantities of tramadol, codeine syrup, Rohypnol and other controlled pharmaceutical substances.
Another suspect, Helen Bakporo Samson, 46, was reportedly arrested in Warri with six kilogrammes of cannabis.
In Oyo State, officers arrested Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi, 41, following an earlier operation in which 197.8 kilogrammes of cannabis were reportedly recovered from his residence.
The agency also reported seizures and arrests in Kano, Taraba, Niger, Bauchi, Ondo and Edo states.
NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the operatives and urged personnel nationwide to sustain intelligence-led operations against drug trafficking.
The suspects remain entitled to the presumption of innocence unless convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction.
