The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating between Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, arresting three key members and seizing cocaine worth over N5.3 billion.
According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the breakthrough followed a two-week intelligence-led operation that culminated in the interception of a cocaine shipment at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The drugs, weighing 17.9 kilogrammes, were concealed in 76 cartons of textile materials laced with charms, and were destined for Sydney, Australia.
The operation led to the arrest of three cartel leaders. A freight agent, Olashupo Oladimeji, was the first suspect apprehended. Further investigations unmasked Muaezee Ogunbiyi, described as the cartel’s Nigeria coordinator, who was arrested in Ikeja GRA. A search of his Lekki residence uncovered 21 parcels of Canadian Loud, a pump-action rifle with cartridges, and other illicit items. Another member, Shola Adegoke, was arrested during a raid on the group’s drug packaging hub in Ikeja GRA, where 17 more parcels of Loud were recovered. Both Ogunbiyi and Adegoke were revealed to be ex-convicts previously jailed in the UK. The cartel’s overseas operations are allegedly directed by one Adebisi Omoyele, alias “Mr. Bee,” based in Dubai.
Beyond the cartel bust, NDLEA operatives also made multiple seizures nationwide last week. At Lagos airport, a Milan-based Nigerian, Gabriel Michael, was arrested with 24,480 tramadol pills concealed in his luggage. In Rivers State, a container loaded with 160,200 bottles of codeine syrup hidden among ceramic sanitary wares was intercepted at Onne Port, valued at over N1.1 billion. In Abuja, operatives arrested a dispatch rider with 3.1kg of Colorado, while in Lagos, two suspects were caught with 625kg of assorted cannabis. Additional arrests and seizures were recorded in Kogi, Anambra, Niger, Edo, Kaduna, and Taraba states, where 18,750kg of cannabis was destroyed on 7.5 hectares of farmland.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the agency’s operatives across the country for their efforts and urged them to sustain the balanced approach of arrests, seizures, and sensitisation under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme.
