NDLEA arrests US-based grandma, South African woman with large cocaine, loud shipments
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed on Sunday that it's operatives have arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother, Anetor Gloria Ubong, with 9.45kg of high-grade cannabis, loud,…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) routinely publicises major drug busts at Nigeria's international airports, particularly Lagos's Murtala Muhammed International Airport, which remains a key transit point for narcotics trafficking between South America, Southern Africa, and North America. The agency's mandate includes intercepting couriers—often referred to as "drug mules"—who conceal substances in luggage, and it frequently highlights the demographic profile of suspects, such as older women or foreign nationals, to underscore how traffickers exploit perceived low-risk profiles to evade detection.
This particular case involves two separate arrests reported together: a 34-year-old South African woman, identified as Qhina Beauty, found with over 36kg of cocaine, and a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother, Anetor Gloria Ubong, caught with "loud" (high-grade cannabis). Coverage across outlets is largely consistent on the basic facts—ages, nationalities, and drug quantities—though some reports, including Premium Times and Legit.ng, add that investigations extended to a Lagos-based car dealer allegedly linked to the smuggling network, a detail not mentioned in other accounts. Further specifics on how the suspects were identified, their travel routes, and potential prosecution timelines have yet to be detailed by the agency.