The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled two major international drug cartels responsible for multiple cocaine shipments destined for the United Kingdom. The arrests came after a series of coordinated operations spanning over three weeks across Lagos State.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the breakthrough followed the interception of six UK-bound consignments of cocaine cleverly concealed inside cocoa butter, stainless cups, hair gel, and body cream containers.
Five suspects, including the alleged mastermind Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode, were arrested in connection with the crimes. Ode, who presented himself as a businessman and real estate developer, is believed to have operated an international drug network with links across Europe.
> “Our operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.4 kilograms on September 16, 2025. Further investigation led to the arrest of Alhaji Ode, who confessed to owning the consignment valued at over ₦150 million,” Babafemi said.
NDLEA operatives also uncovered another criminal network attempting to smuggle cocaine to the UK through multiple export channels. The agency apprehended Smith David Korede, a furniture maker from Oshodi, Lagos, who was found with an additional 1.4kg of cocaine hidden in cosmetic containers.
Subsequent raids led to the arrest of two suspects, Ogunbiyi Oluseye Taiwo and Popoola Francis Olumuyiwa, who attempted to conceal cocaine in stainless cups and crayfish packs.
In another coordinated operation, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt to import 6.3 kilograms of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from Thailand. The drugs were hidden inside bedsheets and dried hibiscus flowers.
Elsewhere, joint NDLEA and Customs teams arrested a suspect along the Danbatta–Daura road in Kano with over 290,000 pills of tramadol and pregabalin. Several other suspects were nabbed across states including Lagos, Edo, Kaduna, Osun, and Kwara during similar operations that resulted in large seizures of codeine syrup, skunk, nitrous oxide, and tramadol.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the operatives for their professionalism and resilience, stressing that the agency would continue to dismantle every level of the narcotics trade in Nigeria.
> “Every seizure and arrest means lives saved and communities protected. We will not rest until every drug cartel operating in or through Nigeria is destroyed,” Marwa stated.
The NDLEA also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across schools, markets, and religious centres nationwide to raise awareness on the dangers of substance abuse.
