The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confiscated 1.8 tons (1,855 kg) of cocaine valued at about $278,250,000, or over N194,775,000,000 on the black market. This was due to a raid on a large warehouse in a private estate in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
This was disclosed in a press release issued by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters Abuja Monday 19th September 2022
According to him, at least, four drug barons including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager were arrested in the well-coordinated and intelligence-led operation that lasted two days across different locations in Lagos State
What NDLEA is saying
Babafemi said “In what appears to be the biggest single cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s premier anti-narcotics agency, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have busted a major warehouse in a secluded estate in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, where 1.8tons (1,855 kilograms) of the illicit drug worth more than Two Hundred and Seventy-Eight Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($278, 250,000) equivalent of about One Hundred and Ninety Four Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy Five Million (N194, 775,000,000) Naira in street value”
“Kingpins of the cocaine cartel in custody include: Messrs Soji Jibril, 69, an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo state; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, who hails from Ekwulobia, Anambra State; Wasiu Akinade, 53, from Ibadan, Oyo State; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, from Okitipupa, Ondo State and Kelvin Smith, 42, a native of Kingston, Jamaica.
“They are all members of an international drug syndicate that the agency has been trailing since 2018,” Babafemi said.
He added that the drug barons reasonable for this drugs were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos
He said “Located at 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo estate, Ikorodu, the warehouse was raided on Sunday 18th September, 2022, while the barons were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between Sunday night and Monday 19th September.”
According to him, preliminary investigation shows that the cartel was seeking to sell the class A drugs to customers in Europe, Asia, and other regions of the world from warehouses located in the residential neighbourhood. They were kept in 13 drums and 10 travel bags.
Babafemi added, “While commending all the officers and men of the agency involved in the extensive investigation including those of the American Drug Enforcement Administration, (US-DEA), Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said the bust is a historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they will all go down if they fail to realise that the game has changed and stop their illicit drug trafficking.”
