South African Woman Sentenced to 40 Years for Importing 5.75kg Heroin into Nigeria
Oru Leonard
A 38-year-old South African woman, Ms. Will Jessica Ann, has been sentenced to a total of 40 years in prison for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the convict was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after operatives discovered 14 large blocks of heroin concealed in her luggage.
Ann was arrested on July 6, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha to Abuja.
According to the NDLEA, she initially denied travelling with check-in luggage. However, operatives established that two bags containing the illicit drugs had tags corresponding with the claim tags attached to her passport.
She subsequently admitted ownership of the bags, claiming that she had forgotten that she checked them in.
The agency said the suspect had travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja and was allegedly linked to a transnational drug trafficking organisation operating along the Cambodian-South African axis.
She was subsequently arraigned before Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/422/2026 on two counts bordering on conspiracy to import and importation of 5.75kg of heroin into Nigeria.
She pleaded guilty to both counts.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, September 17, 2026, Justice Egwuatu sentenced her to 15 years imprisonment on the first count and 25 years on the second count, bringing the total sentence to 40 years.
The NDLEA clarified that the sentences will run concurrently.
The agency also disclosed that Ann’s husband/partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, was arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2026, while allegedly attempting to traffic 3.2kg of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.
Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), described the conviction as a demonstration of the Nigerian judiciary’s support for the agency’s campaign against drug trafficking.
Marwa said the judgment should serve as a deterrent to international drug trafficking organisations seeking to use Nigeria as a transit or destination point for hard drugs.
He said the case reinforced NDLEA’s position that Nigeria would not provide a “soft landing” for international drug cartels.
According to him, the subsequent arrest of the convict’s husband in South Africa while allegedly attempting another trafficking operation to Hong Kong demonstrated the importance of intelligence-sharing and international collaboration in tackling transnational drug networks.
Marwa also commended the swift conclusion of the case, saying the progression from arrest to conviction reflected the effectiveness of NDLEA operations and its collaboration with the Federal High Court.
He warned that the agency would continue to strengthen airport interdiction, intelligence-led operations and international cooperation aimed at dismantling transnational drug trafficking networks using Nigeria as a corridor.
He added that anyone, irrespective of nationality, caught trafficking illicit drugs through Nigerian territory would face the full weight of the law.
The statement was signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
