South Africans Leading Drug Trafficking Cartel In Nigeria – NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said South African nationals have taken the lead in drug trafficking operations in Nigeria.

NDLEA said they are facilitating the movement of illicit drugs through Nigeria to other parts of the world, adding that so far three South Africans have been arrested with large quantities of heroin, cocaine and synthetic cannabis.

Francis Okogun, an Assistant Director at the Media and Advocacy Department of the agency, disclosed this during a joint media briefing of Defence, security and intelligence agencies.

The briefing was organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Daily Trust reports that in October 2026, a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport for attempting to smuggle 32.74 kilograms of “Thai Loud” (synthetic cannabis) concealed in her luggage.

On July 6, 2026, the NDLEA arrested a 38-year-old South African lady, Will Jessica Ann, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after she was found to have concealed 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilograms in her luggage, using her three-year-old son as a cover to beat security checks and evade thorough screening.

The suspect was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha to Abuja.

Though she initially denied travelling with check-in bags, operatives were able to quickly establish that the two bags containing the drugs had tags which tallied with the claim tags attached to her passport, she recounted and admitted ownership of the bags adding that she forgot she checked in the two bags.

Okogun, while fielding questions from journalists, said the individuals arrested are suspected to be working on behalf of international drug cartels.

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.

“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.” (Daily trust)