A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Jessica Ann, to 25 years in prison for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed down the sentence on Thursday after Ann pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and unlawful importation of the illicit drug.
Ann was arrested on July 6, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways Flight QR1433 from Doha at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said its operatives recovered 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75kg from two pieces of checked luggage linked to the convict.
Ann had initially denied travelling with checked luggage, but investigators established that the baggage tags matched those attached to her passport. She subsequently admitted ownership of the bags.
The prosecution told the court that one kilogramme of heroin was worth about ₦18 million and urged the judge to consider the value of the seized consignment in determining the sentence.
During mitigation, Ann expressed remorse, promised not to engage in such an offence again and claimed that she was unaware that the bags contained illicit drugs.
The court, however, convicted her after Justice Egwuatu held that her guilty plea was supported by an earlier extrajudicial statement in which she admitted committing the offence.
Justice Egwuatu sentenced her to 15 years’ imprisonment on the first count and 25 years on the second count, with both sentences to run concurrently. She will therefore serve a maximum of 25 years in prison.
The court further ordered that the seized heroin be destroyed if Ann does not appeal within the period prescribed by law.
The NDLEA had earlier charged Ann with conspiring with another South African, Jan Coenraad De Jager, who remains at large, to import the heroin into Nigeria.
Ann was travelling with her three-year-old son when she was arrested. Following her arraignment in August, the prosecution had also raised concerns about the child’s custody and welfare while in NDLEA custody.
The case was brought under the provisions of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act dealing with conspiracy and unlawful importation of narcotic drugs.
