The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an international organized criminal group (IOCG) operating across several countries, including Nigeria, the UK, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, the agency’s operatives conducted a two-week intelligence-led operation in Lagos, resulting in the arrest of three key leaders of the cartel.
The operation began on August 26, 2025, when NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos intercepted a shipment of 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney, Australia. Upon thorough search, 16 blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9 kilograms were found concealed in the lace materials, along with local charms intended to evade law enforcement detection. The estimated street value of the seized cocaine is over 5.3 million Australian Dollars, equivalent to N5.3 billion.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, the group’s leader in Nigeria, who was found with 21 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis, and a double-barreled pump-action gun. Another leader, Shola Adegoke, was arrested at a house in Ikeja GRA, where the group packaged illicit drugs for export. A black Range Rover SUV and a black Toyota Venza car were also recovered during the raid.
The NDLEA also announced the arrest of Gabriel Michael, a Milan-based Nigerian, who attempted to board an Air France flight to Italy with 24,480 pills of tramadol concealed on his person. Additionally, a joint examination of a 40ft container at the West Africa Container Terminal in Port Harcourt uncovered 160,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup, with an estimated street value of over N1.1 billion.
In other operations, the NDLEA seized 3.1kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, in Abuja, and 625 kilograms of Canadian Loud and Ghana Loud in Lagos. The agency also arrested several individuals in connection with the seizures, including a couple with 24.4kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis, and a suspect with 11,000 pills of tramadol in Anambra State.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers and men involved in the operations and encouraged them to intensify their efforts in the ongoing drug control efforts. The dismantling of the IOCG and the series of arrests and seizures underscore the NDLEA’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and organized crime in Nigeria and beyond.