By Sesi Noah The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a notorious international drug syndicate with links across Nig...
By Sesi Noah
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a notorious international drug syndicate with links across Nigeria, the UK, Brazil, Australia, and the UAE.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the operation followed two weeks of intelligence-led surveillance in Lagos. During the raid, NDLEA operatives intercepted a massive consignment of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, concealed inside cartons of textiles and local charms intended to mask it from detection.
The consignment, which weighed 17.9 kilograms and carried an estimated street value of N5.3 billion, was destined for Sydney, Australia. The first breakthrough came on August 26 when officers at the Lagos airport intercepted 76 cartons of textiles, uncovering 16 blocks of cocaine hidden within.
A freight agent linked to the cartel was the first to be arrested, paving the way for the capture of the group’s key players. Among them was Ogunbiyi, the syndicate’s Nigerian coordinator, who was tracked down to a hotel in Ikeja GRA. His home in Lekki was later searched, leading to the arrest of another cartel leader, Shola Adegoke. Vehicles belonging to the suspects were also impounded, with more drugs recovered from them.
Further investigations revealed the cartel’s overall mastermind as Adebisi Omoyele, also known as “Mr. Bee,” who operates from Dubai. Shockingly, both Ogunbiyi and Adegoke were ex-convicts with criminal records in the UK — Ogunbiyi having served 14 years for murder, and Adegoke previously jailed for meth trafficking before his deportation in 2024.
NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, praised the officers involved in the operation, urging them and their counterparts nationwide to sustain the momentum in the agency’s fight against drug trafficking.
Photo credit: Vanguard News
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