NDLEA Arrests South African Woman, Nigerian-American Grandma at Lagos Airport

• A 34-year-old South African woman was caught at Lagos airport with 36.65kg of coca1ne hidden inside two travelling bags
• A 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother and realtor from Texas was nabbed with 9.45kg of cannab1s on arrival from Houston
• A car dealer linked to the coca1ne syndicate was tracked to his Lagos residence and arrested days after the initial bust

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

Drug enforcement officers have swooped on a series of suspects in Lagos, netting a South African drug courier, a Nigerian-American grandmother, a car dealer and a street-level dealer in a series of operations that span three weeks.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed that Qhina Beauty, 34, was apprehended on 7th October at the departure hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said she attempted to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha. Officers searching her two travelling bags found 30 blocks of coca1ne — weighing 36.65 kilograms in total — laced with dried pepper, wrapped in cellotape and divided into seven separate parcels.

Babafemi said Qhina told investigators she had flown into Nigeria on 30th September solely to collect the drug consignment.

This was contained in a statement issued via the NDLEA X handle @ndlea_nigeria on Sunday, October 25, 2026.

She said another South African woman recruited her for the job, promising R20,000 upon successful delivery, and that she was connected to two additional members of the network—one based in the United States and a car dealer operating in Lagos.

That lead eventually brought NDLEA operatives to Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, 46, who was intercepted on 14th October at Apple Junction along Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following days of surveillance at his Shasha residence.

He confirmed to investigators that he received Qhina upon her arrival, arranged her accommodation at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and later transferred her to Cynarisso Hotel, close to the airport, ahead of her scheduled departure.

A separate operation at the same airport on 21st October resulted in the arrest of Anetor Gloria Ubong, a 62-year-old grandmother and property dealer based in Richmond, Texas, who holds dual Nigerian and American citizenship.

She arrived on a United Airlines flight from Houston, and a search of her two checked-in boxes uncovered 18 parcels of "loud" — a variety of synthetic cannab1s — weighing 9.45 kilograms, concealed beneath gift wrapping paper.

Anetor told officers the box had been delivered to her Texas home by her daughter and the daughter's future brother-in-law, with instructions to hand it over in Nigeria to her daughter's fiancé, identified only as Jibola.

In a further operation on 23rd October, NDLEA's special operations unit arrested Eletu Rasheedat, 41, in the Eti Osa area of Lagos. Officers recovered 5,820 pills of diazepam, 780 tablets of tramadol, 3.7 kilograms of skunk and 230.25 litres of skuchies from her.

Legit.ng earlier reported that NDLEA operatives arrested a 38-year-old South African woman at Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

NDLEA arrests Mexican drug kingpin at Lagos airport

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that arrested Mexican cartel kingpin Arturo Carrera Loaiza at the Lagos airport on August 19, 2026, as he tried to flee Nigeria.

NDLEA linked Loaiza to a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State through CCTV footage and location data embedded in images recovered during the investigation.

The Ebonyi bust followed earlier NDLEA raids on meth labs in Ogun and Oyo states earlier in 2026, pointing to a wider transnational cartel network operating in Nigeria.