The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an international organised criminal group (IOCG) operating across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. Its operatives arrested three kingpins and seized a cocaine consignment worth ₦5.3 billion.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the operation in a statement on Sunday.
He explained that the two-week operation began on 26 August 2025, when officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney, Australia.
A detailed search uncovered 17.9kg of cocaine hidden in lace fabrics alongside local charms allegedly intended to provide “spiritual cover” against detection.
Babafemi confirmed that a freight agent and syndicate member, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was the first suspect arrested. He noted that the seized drugs had an estimated street value of over 5.3 million Australian dollars, equivalent to ₦5.3 billion.
A swift investigation exposed other leaders of the syndicate, including Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi and Shola Adegoke. Ogunbiyi, identified as the Nigerian coordinator, was arrested at a hotel in Ikeja GRA on 3 September. A subsequent search of his Lekki residence uncovered 21 parcels of Canadian Loud, a high-grade cannabis weighing 10.9kg, alongside a pump-action gun and cartridges.
NDLEA officers later raided a property at 13 Reverend Ogunbiyi Street, Ikeja GRA, used by the group for drug packaging. They arrested another ringleader, Shola Adegoke, during the raid. A black Range Rover SUV was searched, yielding 17 parcels of Loud weighing 9.6kg, while a black Toyota Venza seized earlier was linked to Ogunbiyi.
Babafemi revealed that Ogunbiyi oversaw the syndicate’s Nigerian operations, while Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, alias Mr Bee, based in Dubai, coordinated overseas activities. He further noted that Adegoke had served a UK prison sentence in 2021 for methamphetamine trafficking before being deported in 2024, while Ogunbiyi had spent 14 years in a UK jail for murder prior to his return to Nigeria eight years ago.