The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a powerful international drug cartel, intercepting cocaine worth over ₦5.3 billion on its way to Australia.
The syndicate, which stretches across Nigeria, the UK, Brazil, Australia, and the UAE, was busted after a two-week intelligence operation in Lagos. NDLEA operatives intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials at Lagos airport, only to discover 16 blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9kg, hidden alongside local charms meant to shield traffickers from law enforcement.
The first arrest was a freight agent, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji. Further investigations led to the capture of key ringleaders: Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi — nabbed in Ikeja GRA with 21 parcels of Canadian Loud and a pump-action gun — and Shola Adegoke, previously jailed in the UK for meth trafficking.
Vehicles, luxury properties, and more drugs were seized, while the cartel’s overseas boss, Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, nicknamed “Mr. Bee,” remains in hiding in Dubai.
The operation also uncovered a massive haul of 160,200 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in a container at Onne Port, Rivers State, valued at over ₦1.1 billion.
Across Nigeria, NDLEA operatives recorded further victories: from seizing over 600kg of cannabis in Surulere, Lagos, to arresting a couple in Ajegunle with 24kg of skunk, to destroying nearly 19 tonnes of cannabis plantations in Taraba.
Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), praised his officers for their relentless work and urged them to sustain the “balanced approach” that is tightening the noose on drug cartels both locally and globally.
