The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for alleged drug trafficking in Abia State, barely a year after she and her daughter were convicted of drug-related offences.
The agency also arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State, after allegedly discovering 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis in her luggage.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests in a statement on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
According to the agency, Uloma was arrested on October 7 at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, following intelligence reports that she was allegedly operating a drug joint used by criminal elements.
The agency said the elderly woman was previously arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.
During the earlier operation, operatives recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.
The NDLEA said both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦200,000 each. They paid the fines and were released by the court.
The agency alleged that Uloma returned to the illicit drug trade after her release and subsequently established a drug joint.
In Rivers State, operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service arrested Jessie at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, with 30 parcels of cannabis known as Thai Loud, weighing 32.74 kilogrammes.
The drugs were allegedly concealed in two travelling bags. According to the NDLEA, the suspect travelled from Thailand through Doha, Qatar, aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431.
The agency said the suspect admitted to previously trafficking drugs through other African countries and attempting to expand her route to Port Harcourt.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, each labelled 250mg, weighing 307.20 kilogrammes.
The consignment, imported from Pakistan, arrived aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight on September 29. The agency said a joint examination of nine cartons on October 6 led to the discovery of the tablets.
Operatives also intercepted 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid weighing 75.90 kilogrammes, concealed in six Ghana-Must-Go bags in a consolidated cargo shipment from the United Kingdom.
Four suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure, including a clearing agent, John Edrah; an Uber driver, Taofiq Ajibola; Adetunji Adebayo; and a clothing trader, Kazeem Damola Dosunmu.
The NDLEA said investigations into the various seizures and arrests were ongoing.
The agency’s chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations for their professionalism and intelligence-led enforcement efforts.
