… Intercepts ₦5.3bn Cocaine Bound for Australia
Agency also seizes ₦1.1bn Codeine Consignment in Rivers, recovers 653kg ‘Colos’ and Loud in Lagos, Abuja raids
By Kingsley Omonobi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled an international organised criminal group (IOCG) with networks spanning Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, arresting three kingpins and intercepting a cocaine consignment worth ₦5.3 billion.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the operation, conducted over two weeks across Lagos, began on August 26, 2025, when officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney, Australia. A search revealed 17.9kg of cocaine concealed in lace fabrics alongside local charms, allegedly meant to provide “spiritual cover” against detection.
A freight agent, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was the first to be arrested. Further investigations led to the arrest of Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, described as the group’s Nigerian coordinator, and Shola Adegoke, another leader. Ogunbiyi was picked up at an Ikeja GRA hotel, where a search of his Lekki residence uncovered 21 parcels of Canadian Loud (10.9kg) and a pump-action rifle. Adegoke was arrested during a raid on the syndicate’s packaging house at Ikeja GRA, where 9.6kg of Loud was seized from a Range Rover SUV.
Babafemi disclosed that the cartel’s ringleader, identified as Adebisi Ademola Omoyele (alias Mr. Bee), currently resides in Dubai. Investigations revealed that Adegoke had previously served a UK jail term for methamphetamine trafficking, while Ogunbiyi had served 14 years in Britain for murder before returning to Nigeria.
In related operations, NDLEA seized 160,200 bottles of codeine syrup worth ₦1.1bn from a 40ft container at Onne Port, Rivers State, and recovered 653kg of cannabis derivatives during raids in Lagos, Abuja, Kogi, Edo, Anambra, Niger, Kaduna, and Taraba.
Highlights include:
Arrest of a Milan-based Nigerian, Gabriel Michael, at Lagos Airport with 24,480 tramadol pills.
Interception of a dispatch rider in Abuja with 3.1kg of Colorado.
Recovery of 625kg of Loud and Colorado from a distribution hub in Surulere, Lagos.
Arrest of a couple in Ajegunle, Lagos, with 24.4kg of skunk.
Destruction of 18.7 tonnes of cannabis farms in Taraba State.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers involved, urging them to intensify the agency’s “balanced approach” combining enforcement with advocacy under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.
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