Court jails South African woman 25 years in Abuja for importing heroin into Nigeria

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Jessica Will, to 25 years in prison for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.

The trial judge, Obiora Egwuatu, sentenced Ms Will on Thursday after she pleaded guilty to two counts brought against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

She was sentenced to 15 years on the first count and 25 years on the second, with the sentences to run concurrently.

The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Thursday.

How she was arrested

Ms Will was arrested by NDLEA operatives on 6 July at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after 14 large blocks of heroin were found in her luggage.

The drugs weighed 5.75kg.

The agency said Ms Will arrived on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha and initially denied having checked-in luggage.

Officers later found that the tags on the two bags containing the drugs matched the claim tags attached to her passport.

She subsequently admitted that the bags belonged to her, saying she had forgotten that she checked them in.

The NDLEA said Ms Will told investigators that she had travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja.

It stated that further investigation linked her to an alleged transnational drug trafficking network operating along the Cambodian-South African route.

The agency also identified her partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, as an alleged member of the network.

According to the NDLEA, Mr De Jager was arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 27 July while attempting to traffic 3.2kg of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.

Marwa reacts

Reacting to the judgement, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Buba Marwa, said the conviction showed the judiciary’s support for the agency’s efforts against drug trafficking.

“The conviction reflects the judiciary’s support for NDLEA’s efforts and reinforces the agency’s resolve that Nigeria will not serve as a soft landing for international drug cartels,” he stated.

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Mr Marwa, a retired brigadier general, also linked the arrest of Ms Will’s partner in South Africa to intelligence-sharing between the NDLEA and its international partners.

He said the agency would continue to strengthen airport interdiction, intelligence-led operations and international cooperation to disrupt transnational drug trafficking networks.

He warned that anyone caught trafficking illicit drugs through Nigeria, regardless of nationality, would face the full weight of the law.

Recently, the agency has secured many judgements against individuals involved in drug trafficking. In April, the NDLEA reported securing 974 convictions between January and March, including cases involving major drug traffickers.