NDLEA Smashes Drug Cartel, Arrests 3 Kingpins, Seizes N5.3bn Australia-Bound Cocaine

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an international organised criminal group (IOCG) operating between Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, arresting three of its kingpins and intercepting a cocaine shipment worth N5.3 billion.

According to a statement on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the bust followed two weeks of intelligence-led operations across parts of Lagos, culminating in the arrest of the cartel leaders after a large consignment of cocaine, concealed in textile materials and local charms, was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Babafemi explained that the operation began on Tuesday, 26 August 2025, when NDLEA officers at the airport’s export shed intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials destined for Sydney, Australia. A thorough search revealed 16 blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9 kilogrammes hidden in lace fabrics packed with local charms meant to provide “spiritual cover” against law enforcement detection.

A freight agent and syndicate member, Olashupo Oladimeji, was the first to be arrested. The seized cocaine had an estimated street value of 5.3 million Australian dollars, equivalent to N5.3 billion.

Further investigation unmasked two more leaders of the cartel: Muaezee Ogunbiyi and Shola Adegoke. Ogunbiyi, described as the arrowhead of the syndicate in Nigeria, was arrested last Wednesday at a hotel in Ikeja GRA. A search of his Lekki home uncovered 21 parcels of Canadian Loud (a potent strain of cannabis) weighing 10.9 kilogrammes and a double-barrelled pump-action gun with cartridges.

A subsequent raid on a house at 13 Reverend Ogunbiyi Street, Ikeja GRA, used by the group to package drugs for export, led to the arrest of Adegoke. A black Range Rover SUV with registration number RBC 459 EJ parked in the compound was searched, yielding 17 parcels of Loud weighing 9.6 kilogrammes. A black Toyota Venza earlier recovered from Ogunbiyi at the hotel was also impounded.

Investigations revealed that while Ogunbiyi coordinated Nigerian operations, one Adebisi Omoyele (alias Mr Bee), currently hiding in Dubai, is the ringleader overseeing overseas activities. Adegoke was discovered to have been jailed in the UK in 2021 for methamphetamine trafficking before being deported to Nigeria in 2024. Ogunbiyi himself served 14 years in a UK prison over a murder case before returning to Nigeria eight years ago.

Meanwhile, a Milan-based Nigerian, Gabriel Michael, was arrested at Lagos Airport last Friday while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy. He concealed 24,480 tramadol pills in his luggage, which he admitted he intended to sell for €19,520.

In a separate operation at the Onne Port, Rivers State, NDLEA and Nigeria Customs operatives uncovered 160,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in a 40-foot container of ceramic sanitary wares. The consignment, tracked by NDLEA’s special operations unit, had an estimated street value of N1.1 billion.

Other nationwide operations in the past week included:

Arrest of a dispatch rider in Abuja with 3.1 kilogrammes of Colorado (synthetic cannabis).Interception in Lagos of 625 kilogrammes of Loud strains of cannabis from suspects loading distribution vehicles.

Arrest of a couple in Ajegunle with 24.4 kilogrammes of skunk.
Seizure of 53.4 kilogrammes of skunk in Kogi State and 233 kilogrammes in Kaduna State, with follow-up arrests in Edo.Interception in Anambra of 11,000 tramadol pills.Seizure in Niger State of 342 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in a Toyota Hilux.Destruction of 18,750 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on 7.5 hectares of cannabis farms in Taraba State, with two farmers arrested.

Babafemi noted that NDLEA commands nationwide sustained their *War Against Drug Abuse (WADA)* sensitisation campaigns through lectures and advocacy visits to communities, workplaces, and worship centres.

While commending the agency’s officers in Lagos, Rivers, Abuja, Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Kogi, and Niger States, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) urged them to intensify efforts using a balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with prevention advocacy.

Source: Arise