South African National Sentenced To 40 Years In Nigeria For Heroin Importation

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.

According to reports, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested Ann at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after discovering 14 large blocks of heroin concealed in her luggage.

The drugs were reportedly uncovered during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha to Abuja on Monday, July 6, 2026.

The NDLEA officers reportedly discovered that two bags containing the illicit substance had tags matching the claim tags attached to Ann’s passport. She initially denied travelling with check-in luggage but later acknowledged ownership of the bags, claiming that she had forgotten she checked them in.

Ann told investigators that she had travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja.

Further investigations reportedly linked her to a transnational drug trafficking organisation allegedly operated alongside her husband or partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, from Cambodia through the Cambodian-South African route.

De Jager was also reportedly arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2026, while allegedly attempting to traffic 3.2 kilogrammes of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.

Ann was subsequently arraigned before Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on a two-count charge bordering on the importation of 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin and conspiracy to import the substance into Nigeria.

She pleaded guilty to both charges in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/422/2026.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, September 17, 2026, Justice Egwuatu convicted Ann and 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 court, however, ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the conviction as evidence of the judiciary’s support for the agency’s efforts to combat drug trafficking.

Marwa said the judgment would serve as a deterrent to transnational drug trafficking organisations seeking to use Nigeria as a transit or destination point for illicit drugs.

He added that the arrest of Ann’s alleged partner in South Africa weeks later, in connection with a separate trafficking operation, demonstrated the importance of intelligence sharing and cooperation between the NDLEA and its international partners.

The NDLEA chairman also reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening airport interdiction, intelligence-led operations and international collaboration to dismantle drug trafficking networks.

He warned that individuals involved in the trafficking of illicit drugs through Nigeria, regardless of their nationality, would face the full consequences of the law.