The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raised concerns over the increasing involvement of South African nationals in international drug trafficking, disclosing that three citizens of the country were arrested in recent operations involving large quantities of illicit substances.
The anti-narcotic agency said the suspects were arrested in separate operations, with operatives recovering heroin, cocaine and synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Loud.
An Assistant Director in the NDLEA’s Media and Advocacy Department, Francis Okogun, disclosed this on Thursday during a joint media briefing by defence, security and intelligence agencies in Abuja.
He said investigations showed that some foreign nationals were working for international drug cartels to move illicit substances through Nigeria, while others were bringing drugs into the country.
Okogun said the agency was investigating the arrests to establish the intended destinations of the drugs and identify the cartels behind the shipments.
He said: “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.
“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.”
One of the cases involved a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, who was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport in October 2026 for allegedly attempting to smuggle 32.74 kilogrammes of synthetic cannabis, known as Thai Loud, concealed in her luggage.
Another South African, 38-year-old Will Jessica Ann, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on July 6, 2026, with 14 blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilogrammes.
Okogun said the arrests were significant because of the quantities of drugs recovered and the suspected links to international trafficking networks.
He added that the agency was conducting detailed investigations to uncover the networks responsible for the operations.
