Operatives of the Nationwide Drug Regulation Enforcement Company (NDLEA) have dismantled a world organized felony group (IOCG) linked to drug trafficking throughout Nigeria, the UK, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
This adopted a two-week intelligence-led operation in Lagos resulting in the arrest of three cartel leaders following the interception of a big cocaine cargo.
In keeping with an announcement by the NDLEA nationwide spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the operation started on August 26, 2025, when NDLEA officers on the Murtala Muhammed Worldwide Airport (MMIA) found 76 cartons of textile supplies destined for Sydney, Australia.
An intensive examination revealed 16 blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9 kilograms hidden inside the lace supplies, disguised with native charms to evade detection.
A freight agent, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, linked to the syndicate, was the primary to be arrested.
“This consignment was valued at over 5.3 million Australian {Dollars}, equal to N5.3 billion,” the assertion reads.
It famous that the investigation shortly led to the identification of different key figures within the operation, together with Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi and Shola Adegoke. Ogunbiyi, described because the group’s Nigerian coordinator, was apprehended in Ikeja on September 3, the place authorities discovered 21 parcels of Canadian Loud hashish, a pump-action gun, and ammunition at his residence.
Shola Adegoke, one other chief of the syndicate, was arrested at a packaging website in Ikeja, the place 17 parcels of Loud hashish had been additionally recovered from a automobile on the premises.
“It’s clear that whereas Ogunbiyi manages native operations, Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, at present in Dubai, oversees worldwide actions,” stated the spokesperson, including that Ogunbiyi had beforehand served time within the UK for homicide.
In a separate operation on September 5, NDLEA brokers arrested Gabriel Michael at Terminal 1 of MMIA whereas he tried to board a flight to Italy with 24,480 capsules of tramadol.
Extra seizures included 160,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup present in a delivery container in Rivers State, alongside numerous drug arrests all through Nigeria, together with 3.1 kilograms of artificial hashish in Abuja and 625 kilograms of Colombian Loud and different illicit substances in Lagos.
Chairman and Chief Govt Officer (CCEO) of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised the efforts of the businesses concerned, emphasizing the significance of constant their struggle towards drug abuse.
He stated, “I commend our groups throughout the states for his or her relentless dedication and urge them to take care of a balanced method in our drug management efforts.”
The NDLEA continues to advocate towards drug abuse via academic initiatives throughout the nation, demonstrating its dedication to combatting the rising drug downside.
