The **[National Drug Law Enforcement Agency](https://www.ndlea.gov.ng)** announced that on 21 October 2026 it detained a 62‑year‑old Nigerian‑American grandmother and a 34‑year‑old South African woman at **[Murtala Muhammed International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murtala_Muhammad_International_Airport)** in Lagos, seizing 9.45 kg of high‑grade synthetic cannabis (known locally as “loud”) and 36.65 kg of cocaine.
Key details of the operation include:
- The South African, identified as Qhina Beauty, was stopped in the departure hall while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha on 7 October 2026.
- A search of her two travel bags uncovered 30 blocks of cocaine, wrapped in cellophane tape and pepper‑laced, totalling 36.65 kg.
- The Nigerian‑American, Anetor Gloria Ubong, arrived on a United Airlines flight from Houston on 21 October and was found with 18 parcels of loud weighing 9.45 kg concealed in gift‑wrapped boxes.
- NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said, “Qhina, the South African, was arrested at the departure hall of the Lagos airport on 7th October 2026 while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.”
What led to the arrests?
Qhina told investigators that she entered Nigeria on 30 September to collect the cocaine consignment, having been recruited by another South African who promised a R20,000 reward for successful delivery. She named two additional syndicate members: a contact in the United States and a Lagos‑based car dealer.
Who was the Lagos car dealer?
Surveillance on the dealer, 46‑year‑old Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, culminated in his arrest on 14 October at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos. He admitted receiving Qhina at the airport, housing her first at the Santiago Hotel in Amuwo‑Odofin and later moving her to the Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.
What other drug busts were reported?
NDLEA operations across the country recovered large quantities of illicit substances:
- In Kano, a raid on 22 October seized 97.2 kg of cannabis sativa from a 30‑year‑old suspect, Murtala Lawan.
- In Taraba, a checkpoint arrest on 23 October yielded 60.175 kg of compressed cannabis from Raiyanu Misa.
- In Delta, Peter Ugochukwu, 51, was caught in Warri with over 29,000 tramadol capsules, thousands of codeine bottles, Rohypnol tablets, diazepam tablets and ampoules, plus quantities of Molly and Cocodamol.
- A physically challenged 46‑year‑old woman, Helen Bakporo Samson, was seized with 6 kg of “skunk” in Warri on 19 October.
- In Ibadan, 41‑year‑old Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi was re‑arrested after a previous escape, following the seizure of 197.8 kg of cannabis from his residence on 16 September.
- In Ondo, a farm raid on 20 October at Board‑Ala, Akure South recovered 583 kg of abandoned cannabis.
- Two cannabis farms in Edo’s Ugbada Forest were destroyed on 18 October, with 2,023.14 kg of yield burned and 97 kg taken as evidence; a related arrest captured Mary Edokhai with 35 kg of the same drug.
What community outreach accompanied the enforcement actions?
The agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation programme, delivering lectures to schools and community centres in Oje Grammar School (Ibadan), Government Day Secondary School (Kwamba, Niger), Baptist Primary School (Olorunda, Ogun), Government Secondary School (Yalea, Kano), Community Secondary School (Igogoro, Enugu), Urban Girls Secondary School (Onitsha), and Kelebe Community Grammar School (Osogbo).
Who led the agency’s response?
**[Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Buba_Marwa)**, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, praised the officers for their vigilance and intelligence‑driven approach, urging continued intensity in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria.
The series of arrests and seizures underscores NDLEA’s intensified nationwide effort to dismantle drug networks and curb the flow of narcotics into the country.