The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old South African woman, Qhina Beauty, with 36.65 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Beauty was arrested on October 7, 2026, at the airport’s departure hall while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.
A search of her two travelling bags led to the recovery of 30 blocks of cocaine, concealed in seven parcels wrapped with cello tape and mixed with dried pepper.
The NDLEA disclosed the arrest in a statement on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the agency, Beauty told investigators that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to collect the consignment. She allegedly said another South African woman recruited her and promised to pay her R20,000 upon successful delivery.
She also reportedly identified two other members of the drug trafficking syndicate, one based in the United States and the other a Lagos-based car dealer.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the 46-year-old car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, on October 14 at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following surveillance at his residence in Shasha.
The suspect allegedly admitted receiving Beauty at the airport, accommodating her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and later moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother, Anetor Gloria Ubong, with 9.45kg of a synthetic cannabis strain known as loud.
Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, was arrested on October 21 upon arriving at the Lagos airport on a United Airlines flight from Houston.
A search of her two checked-in boxes uncovered 18 parcels of the substance concealed with gift-wrapping paper.
The agency said Ubong claimed the consignment was delivered to her home in the United States by her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.
The NDLEA also reported several arrests and drug seizures during operations across the country.
In Lagos, operatives on October 23 arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat in the Eti Osa area, recovering 5,820 diazepam pills, 780 tramadol tablets, 3.7kg of skunk and 230.25 litres of skuchies.
In Delta State, a 51-year-old suspect, Peter Ugochukwu, was arrested in Warri with large quantities of pharmaceutical opioids and other substances.
The seizures included 29,350 tramadol capsules, 6,620 tablets of tramadol 200mg, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 Rohypnol tablets, 3,500 diazepam tablets, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection. Quantities of tramadol 225mg, Molly and Cocodamol were also recovered.
The suspect was transferred alongside a white Hummer bus from the Nigeria Police Force in Delta State.
In another operation in Warri, NDLEA operatives arrested a 46-year-old physically challenged woman, Helen Bakporo Samson, on October 19 with 6kg of skunk at Enhere Junction.
In Oyo State, a 41-year-old suspect, Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi, was arrested on October 19 in Adamasingba, Ibadan, after allegedly escaping arrest when NDLEA operatives seized 197.8kg of cannabis from his residence on September 16.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the operatives and urged them to sustain efforts to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse nationwide.