​Unrepentant at 83: NDLEA Rearrests Grandma, Nabs South African Operative Over Illicit Drug Shipments

​ABUJA / PORT HARCOURT — In a striking display of brazen criminality, an 83-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday, has been re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) just months after walking away from a prior narcotics conviction.

​The octogenarian was cornered on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, located within the Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State. According to anti-narcotics agents, Mrs. Sunday had wrapped substantial quantities of methamphetamine and the synthetic strain known as “Colorado” around her waist using a traditional wrapper.

​Her latest brush with the law followed actionable intelligence suggesting she had brazenly returned to the illicit trade, operating an active drug joint that served as a haven for criminal elements terrorizing the local community.

ADVERTISEMENT

​Mrs. Sunday’s initial encounter with the law occurred on May 17, 2025. During that raid, NDLEA operatives intercepted her alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, in possession of 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves, and 12 grams of tramadol. Although prosecuted and handed a 12-month jail term with an option of a ₦200,000 fine, the convicts promptly paid the fine and regained their freedom. Rather than turning a new leaf, the elderly ex-convict scaled up her network, prompting this week’s decisive re-arrest.

​South African National Intercepted in Port Harcourt

​In a simultaneous, high-profile interdiction down south, NDLEA operatives stationed at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, Rivers State, working in close collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service, nabbed a South African woman.

​The suspect, identified as Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, was intercepted with 30 parcels of “Thai Loud”—a potent strain of exotic cannabis—weighing a staggering 32.74 kilograms. The illicit consignment was cleverly concealed inside two traveling bags.

​Preliminary investigations reveal that Ms. Jessie flew into Nigeria from Thailand via Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight (QR1431). During interrogation, she confessed that she had previously utilized other African transit routes before attempting to expand her syndication network into Port Harcourt.

​Both suspects are currently in custody and are expected to face comprehensive legal proceedings as the NDLEA intensifies its nationwide clampdown on cross-border drug cartels and domestic distribution rings.