The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an international organized criminal group (IOCG) operating across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, following a series of intelligence-led raids that netted huge consignments of illicit drugs and arrested key cartel leaders.
A statement on Sunday by the NDLEA Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the breakthrough began on August 26, 2025, when NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney, Australia.
The statement disclosed that hidden inside the shipment were 16 blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9kg and concealed with local charms for “spiritual cover.”
“The first suspect, freight agent Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was arrested on the spot. The cocaine was valued at over 5.3 million Australian dollars (about N5.3 billion),” the statement added.
Further investigations led to the arrest of cartel kingpin Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi at a hotel in Ikeja GRA on September 3.
According to the statement, a search of his Lekki residence yielded 21 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 10.9kg, alongside a pump-action gun and cartridges.
Another cartel leader, Shola Adegoke, was apprehended the same day during a raid on their packaging base at Reverend Ogunbiyi Street, Ikeja GRA, where 17 parcels of Loud (9.6kg) were recovered from a Range Rover SUV.
NDLEA identified Dubai-based Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, also known as “Mr. Bee,” as the ringleader who coordinates the cartel’s overseas operations.
Both Ogunbiyi and Adegoke were found to have past criminal records in the UK, including drug trafficking and murder convictions.
In related operations, NDLEA intercepted a wide range of drugs across the country:
- Port Harcourt: A 40-foot container of 160,200 bottles of codeine syrup worth over N1.1 billion concealed in cartons of ceramic sanitary ware.
- Lagos Airport: Italy-bound passenger Gabriel Michael was caught with 24,480 tramadol pills concealed in his luggage.
- Lagos State: Over 625kg of Loud and Colorado cannabis seized in Surulere; a couple arrested in Ajegunle with 24.4kg of skunk.
- Kogi & Edo States: Suspects arrested with over 286kg of skunk in follow-up raids.
- Niger State: A Hilux van loaded with 342kg of skunk was intercepted along the Minna-Bida road.
- Taraba State: NDLEA destroyed 7.5 hectares of cannabis farms, seizing 18,750kg of skunk.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Taraba, Anambra, Kaduna, Niger, and Kogi for their efforts, urging them to intensify the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) through both enforcement and sensitization campaigns.
According to the agency, the coordinated clampdown marks a major victory in Nigeria’s war against narcotics and transnational organized crime.
