Female Socialite, ‘Glow’, Arrested For Alleged Drug Trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother with 9.45kg of cannabis at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The woman, identified by the NDLEA as Gloria Anetor Ubong-Okulaja, is widely known on social media as ‘Glow’.

Ubong-Okulaja was arrested by NDLEA operatives during an operation on October 21, in what the agency described as part of its ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking through Nigeria’s busiest airport.

The agency said Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, United States, arrived on a United Airlines flight from Houston.

A search of her two checked-in boxes allegedly revealed 18 parcels of loud, a cannabis strain, weighing 9.45kg and concealed with gift-wrapping paper inside a box.

Officers said the parcels were carefully wrapped and hidden among personal items in an attempt to evade detection, but were discovered during routine screening and physical search of her luggage.

Ubong, who holds Nigerian and United States passports, allegedly told investigators that her daughter and her daughter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the box to her home in the US for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.

The NDLEA said investigations are ongoing to establish the full chain of those allegedly involved in the shipment, including the intended recipients in Nigeria.

On Facebook, the suspect operates under the handle Glow Okulaja, where she is described as Mrs Okulaja.

The report noted that the name has generated public attention online because of its association with Demola Okulaja.

The NDLEA has not stated that the suspect is married to Demola Okulaja, and the agency identified her by her full name, Gloria Anetor Ubong-Okulaja.

As at the time of filing this report, no statement had been issued on her behalf, and she remains in NDLEA custody pending further investigation and possible prosecution.

The arrest adds to a series of recent interceptions at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where the NDLEA has intensified surveillance on inbound passengers from the United States and other routes frequently used for drug trafficking.