South African Woman Jailed 25 Years For Importing Heroin Into Nigeria

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

Justice Obiora Egwuatu imposed the sentence on Thursday after Ann pleaded guilty to the charges filed against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Ann was arraigned before the court in August over the alleged importation of the illicit drug. She pleaded guilty to the charges against her.

The NDLEA said Ann was arrested in July during the inward clearance of passengers aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

According to the agency, Ann was travelling with her three-year-old son when she was arrested and initially denied having any check-in luggage.

The anti-narcotics agency said she later admitted ownership of two bags after its operatives discovered that the tags on the luggage corresponded with the claim tags attached to her passport.

The NDLEA further disclosed that Ann’s husband was arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2026, while allegedly attempting to traffic 3.2 kilogrammes of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.

Following Ann’s guilty plea, the prosecution asked the court to consider the value of the seized heroin in determining her punishment. It told the court that one kilogramme of the substance was worth about N18 million.

In her plea for leniency, Ann asked the court to temper justice with mercy, saying she was remorseful and would not repeat the offence.

She also claimed that she was unaware that the bags contained illicit drugs.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Egwuatu noted that Ann had admitted committing the offence in her extrajudicial statement before subsequently pleading guilty in court.

The judge held that the law was settled that a conviction follows a guilty plea and consequently convicted Ann of the offences.

He sentenced Ann to 15 years’ imprisonment on count one and 25 years on count two, with the sentences to run concurrently.

She will therefore serve a total of 25 years in prison.

The judge also ordered the destruction of the seized heroin if Ann does not appeal the judgment within the period prescribed by law.