A 38-year-old South African woman, Ms. Will Jessica Ann, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison by the Federal High Court in Abuja after being convicted of importing 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria.
The convict was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja.
According to investigators, she had concealed 14 large blocks of heroin within her luggage and used her three-year-old son as a cover to bypass security checks and evade thorough screening.
Her arrest occurred on Monday, July 6, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Abuja.
Although she initially denied traveling with check-in bags, operatives matched the luggage tags to the claim tags attached to her passport, prompting her to admit ownership.
Intelligence linked her to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operated alongside her partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, along the Cambodian-South African corridor. Her partner was subsequently arrested in Johannesburg on July 27 while attempting to traffic 3.2kg of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.
Arraigned before Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu under suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/422/2026, Ms. Ann pleaded guilty to a two-count charge bordering on the importation of and conspiracy to import 5.75kg of heroin.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, September 17, 2026, Justice Egwuatu sentenced her to 15 years on the first count and 25 years on the second count. The sentences will run concurrently, bringing her total time of imprisonment to 40 years.
Reacting to the ruling, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the judiciary’s swift administration of justice.
He emphasized that the conviction demonstrates Nigeria’s firm resolve not to serve as a soft landing for international drug cartels, noting that robust intelligence-sharing with international partners remains vital to dismantling global trafficking networks.