NDLEA Busts Cocaine Cartels, Seizes Billions in Drugs [Photos]

On Sunday, Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) headquarters in Abuja, revealed that the agency had made a groundbreaking discovery. A massive cocaine shipment worth billions of naira had been intercepted, cleverly concealed within heavy-duty car parts and vibrant Ghanaian Kente fabric.

This daring operation was the culmination of a nationwide intelligence-led campaign by NDLEA operatives. The agency’s efforts yielded a significant haul, with 2.32 kilograms of cocaine hidden in traditional Ghanaian textiles destined for the UK, seized at a Lagos courier firm on August 5th, 2024.

In a remarkable twist, NDLEA’s trained sniffer dogs uncovered an additional 10.494 kilograms of cocaine, buried within heavy-duty pivot shafts bound for the US, at the same logistics company. This brought the total cocaine seizure to an impressive 12.814 kilograms, marking a major victory in the agency’s war on drugs.

This was made known on Sunday in a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja.

Babafemi said that five other consignments going to the US, UK and Canada were also intercepted at the courier firm in Lagos on Friday 9th August 2024.

According to him, they include 517 grams of cocaine in clothing materials; different quantities of pentazocine injection, promethazine injection and cocodamol pills, all heading to the UK as well as 297 pills of tramadol 225mg going to Canada.

Babafemi disclosed that NDLEA operatives also recovered 21 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 10kg coming from the US and meant for delivery in Abuja at a different logistics company in Lagos.

This is even as said that NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 7th August arrested a member of a cocaine trafficking network, Obiora Joseph Agudosi, at Alafia Orile, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos while attempting to move 9.00kg of cocaine to Onitsha, Anambra state.

Babafemi also announced that two members of another cocaine syndicate based in Nnewi and Oba town, Anambra state were also arrested on Thursday 8th August in a follow up operation following the seizure of their consignments in a GUO transport company bus at Benin, Edo state same day.

Announcing further details, Babafemi said: “While the bus driver, Harrison Mbachu, 44, was arrested at Benin tollgate with a total of 2.865kg cocaine, Izuchkwu Arinze, 40, was picked at Nnewi town while attempting to collect his own consignment of 1.748kg cocaine and 514 grams sodium bicarbonate, with Ameachi Okoro, 39, arrested while trying to pick his own 1.117kg cocaine at Oba town.

“Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at Tincan seaport Lagos on Wednesday 7th August intercepted 532 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 265.25kg in a black Toyota Sienna bus, which is one of the three vehicles in a container marked MSMU 6029570 coming from Montreal, Canada. The seizure was made during 100% joint examination with men of Customs Service and other stakeholders. The following day, Thursday 8th August, the operatives recorded yet another seizure of 75 parcels of same substance weighing 37.5kg in a container marked FSCU-9274613, that came from Canada.

“In Adamawa state, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 8th August with the support of men of operation Farauta Sector 3, Mayo Belwa arrested 49-year-old Joseph Peter with 425 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 291.200kg in his Toyota Camry car marked Lagos KSF 381 HM. He claimed he was bringing the consignment from Edo state to deliver in Yola, Adamawa State.

“While two suspects: Adekunle Sunday Adebayo, 50, and Yahaya Mamuda, 35, were arrested at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano on Tuesday 6th August with 29.5kg cannabis, NDLEA operatives in Lagos recovered 1,169 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance from a bus along Orchid road, Ajah on Sunday 4th August.

No less than 1,230.00kg cannabis was destroyed on three hectares of farmland at Ikeje forest, Edimogo village, Igalamela/ Odolu LGA, Kogi state on Friday 9th August by NDLEA officers supported by men of the Nigerian Army while the owner, Danjuma Maji, 40, was arrested.”

In response to the breakthrough, NDLEA’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the outstanding performance of the Special Operations Unit and commands in Tincan, Lagos, Edo, Kano, Kogi, and Adamawa, as well as the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI). He commended their tireless efforts in achieving the remarkable arrests and seizures.

General Marwa encouraged the teams to sustain their momentum, maintaining a dual-pronged strategy that targets both drug supply reduction and demand reduction. He urged all NDLEA personnel nationwide to continue their collaborative efforts, building on this success to further disrupt drug trafficking networks and mitigate the drug menace in Nigeria.