Trending 
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised an alarm over the growing involvement of South African nationals in drug trafficking networks operating in Nigeria.
Speaking at a joint media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the agency’s Assistant Director of Media and Advocacy, Francis Okogun, revealed that three South African nationals had been arrested in recent weeks with large consignments of heroin, cocaine, and synthetic cannabis.
“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,” Okogun said.
He noted that some foreign nationals are increasingly facilitating the movement of illicit drugs through Nigeria to other parts of the world, while others are involved in bringing such substances into the country.
“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 added.
One of the recent arrests involved a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Jessica Ann, who was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
She was allegedly found with 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin concealed in 14 blocks in her luggage.
The NDLEA stated that she used her three-year-old son as a cover to evade security screening.
In a separate case in October, another South African national, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 32.74 kilogrammes of synthetic cannabis.
