The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an international organized criminal group with operations spanning Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, arresting three kingpins and seizing cocaine worth ₦5.3 billion.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said the two-week operation in Lagos began on August 26, 2025, when officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, intercepted 76 cartons of textiles bound for Sydney, Australia. A search uncovered 17.9kg of cocaine concealed in lace fabrics, alongside local charms allegedly meant to provide “spiritual cover” against detection.
The crackdown led to the arrest of freight agent Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, the group’s Nigerian coordinator Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, and another leader Shola Adegoke. Ogunbiyi was arrested at a hotel in Ikeja GRA, where a search of his Lekki home yielded 21 parcels of Canadian Loud (10.9kg) and a pump-action rifle. Adegoke was picked up during a raid on the syndicate’s packaging house in Ikeja GRA, where officers seized 9.6kg of Loud from a Range Rover SUV.
Babafemi disclosed that the cartel’s ringleader, Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, also known as Mr. Bee, is currently based in Dubai. Investigations revealed that Adegoke had served a UK jail term for methamphetamine trafficking, while Ogunbiyi had previously spent 14 years in a British prison for murder before returning to Nigeria.
In related operations, NDLEA intercepted a 40ft container at Onne Port, Rivers State, holding 160,200 bottles of codeine syrup valued at ₦1.1bn, and recovered 653kg of cannabis derivatives during raids across Lagos, Abuja, Kogi, Edo, Anambra, Niger, Kaduna, and Taraba States.
Other highlights include:
- Arrest of 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 Surulere, Lagos, distribution hub.
- 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, urging them to sustain the agency’s “balanced approach” that combines aggressive enforcement with advocacy through the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.