NDLEA Seizes ₦5.3bn Worth Of Cocaine Hidden In Lace Fabrics, Arrests 3 Suspects
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have dismantled an international organised criminal group (IOCG) with networks spanning Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, arresting three kingpins and intercepting a cocaine consignment worth ₦5.3 billion.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
He said the operation, conducted over two weeks across Lagos, began on August 26, 2025, when officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney, Australia.
A search revealed 17.9kg of cocaine concealed in lace fabrics alongside local charms, allegedly meant to provide “spiritual cover” against detection.
“The unravelling of the drug syndicate began on Tuesday, 26th August 2025, after NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials going to Sydney, Australia.
“A thorough search of the shipment led to the recovery of 16 big blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9 kilograms hidden in the lace materials packed with local charms to provide spiritual cover against law enforcement detection,” Babafemi explained.
A freight agent and member of the syndicate, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was the first to be arrested.
“The consignment was expected to fetch the syndicate an estimated street value of over 5.3 million Australian Dollars, equivalent to N5.3 billion,” Babafemi stated.
Babafemi said that the fast-paced investigation of the operations of the IOCG quickly unmasked other leaders of the group: Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi and Shola Adegoke.
NDLEA smashes drug cartel, arrests 3 kingpins, seizes N5.3bn Australia-bound cocaine
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According to him, “Ogunbiyi, who is the arrowhead of the syndicate in Nigeria, was arrested at a hotel in Ikeja GRA on Wednesday, 3rd September.
“He was swiftly taken to his house in the Lekki area of Lagos, where a search led to the recovery of 21 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis with a total weight of 10.90kg, and a double-barreled pump-action gun with some cartridges.”
The anti-narcotics agency said that a house located at 13 Reverend Ogunbiyi Street, Ikeja GRA, which the criminal group used to package illicit drugs for export, was subsequently raided, and another leader of the syndicate, Shola Adegoke, was arrested there.
“A black Range Rover SUV marked RBC 459 EJ found in the compound was searched and 17 parcels of Loud weighing 9.60 kilograms were recovered, while a black Toyota Venza car with registration number FST 771 JQ was earlier recovered from Ogunbiyi at the point of his arrest at the hotel,” Babafemi said.
“Investigations revealed that while Ogunbiyi coordinates operations for the group in Nigeria, one Adebisi Ademola Omoyele (Mr. Bee), who is currently hibernating in Dubai, UAE, is identified as the ringleader of the criminal network who coordinates their overseas operations.”
Babafemi also noted that Adegoke was found to have been jailed in the UK in 2021 for dealing in methamphetamine and deported to Nigeria in 2024, while Ogunbiyi had served a 14-year jail term in the UK over a murder case before returning to Nigeria about eight years ago.
