…intercepts Australia-bound shipment, uncovers syndicate’s Nigerian base
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has broken up a transnational drug cartel with networks spanning Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, seizing cocaine worth N5.3 billion concealed in textile shipments.
The two-week intelligence-led operation, carried out in Lagos, led to the arrest of three cartel leaders and the seizure of weapons, luxury vehicles, cannabis strains, and multiple drug consignments.
In a statement signed on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the agency revealed that officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport intercepted 76 cartons of lace materials bound for Sydney, Australia, on 26th August.
A search uncovered 16 blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9kg, hidden with charms meant to shield traffickers from detection.
One of the cartel’s freight agents, Mr. Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was arrested first, paving way for further arrests. Investigators later apprehended Mr. Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, identified as the Nigeria-based coordinator, and Mr. Shola Adegoke, a convicted UK drug trafficker deported in 2024.
Their hideouts in Lekki and Ikeja GRA were raided, where officers recovered parcels of Canadian Loud cannabis, a pump-action rifle with cartridges, and luxury cars including a Range Rover and Toyota Venza.
Investigations further revealed that the cartel’s ringleader, Mr. Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, alias “Mr. Bee,” operates from Dubai, coordinating overseas activities of the syndicate.
The NDLEA statement added that further operations across Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, Anambra, Taraba, Niger, Kogi, Kaduna, and Edo States within the same week yielded large seizures of tramadol, codeine-based syrup, Colorado, skunk, and cannabis cultivated on seven hectares of farmland.
Arrests included a Milan-bound Nigerian caught with 24,480 tramadol pills, a dispatch rider intercepted with Colorado in Abuja, and a couple arrested with 24.4kg of skunk in Ajegunle, Lagos.
While commending operatives for the series of breakthroughs, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), charged officers nationwide to intensify the agency’s balanced approach in combating illicit drugs.