South African Woman Gets 25 Years in Abuja for Heroin Importation

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

The trial judge, Obiora Egwuatu, handed down the sentence on Thursday after Ms Will pleaded guilty to two charges from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

On the first charge, she received a 15-year sentence. On the second charge, she got 25 years. Both sentences will run at the same time.

The NDLEA shared this information in a statement from its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Thursday.

How she was arrested

Ms Will was taken into custody by NDLEA officers on 6 July at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. They found 14 large blocks of heroin in her luggage.

The total weight of the drugs was 5.75kg. The agency noted that Ms Will arrived on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha. At first, she said she did not have checked-in luggage.

Later, officers discovered that the tags on the two bags with the drugs matched the claim tags on her passport. She then admitted that the bags were hers, saying she had forgotten about them.

The NDLEA reported that Ms Will told investigators she had traveled from Cambodia to Abuja via Doha. Further inquiries linked her to a drug trafficking network that operates between Cambodia and South Africa.

The agency also mentioned her partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, as a suspect in this network. They said he was arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 27 July for trying to smuggle 3.2kg of illegal drugs to Hong Kong.

Marwa reacts

In reaction to the judgement, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Buba Marwa, said the conviction shows the judiciary’s support for the agency’s fight against drug trafficking.

He stated, "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."

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

He added that the agency will keep improving airport security, intelligence-led operations, and international cooperation to break down drug trafficking networks.

He warned that anyone caught smuggling illegal drugs through Nigeria will face severe punishment, no matter their nationality. Recently, the agency has won many cases against drug traffickers. In April, the NDLEA reported securing 974 convictions from January to March, including cases with major drug traffickers.