NDLEA Arrests Couple And Four Others, Recovers Multi-billion-naira Cocaine And Fentanyl Consignments

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a couple heading a cocaine trafficking cartel, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Daudah in Lagos and Ogun states.

They were apprehended with multi-billion-naira worth of the illicit drug recovered in two major operations following the arrest of the kingpin and his queen in one of the intelligence-led raids.

In a statement released, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the duo were arrested on Saturday 25th May 2024 by operatives of a special operation unit in NDLEA with the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States at Ibiye, along Lagos-Badagry expressway while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana.

‘’At the point of their arrest, 42 blocks of the Class A drug weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on them. A swift follow-up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun state, led to the recovery of an additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms. ‘’ Babafemi said.

He stated that in another raid by the special operation unit, no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.48kg were recovered from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island.

‘'No less than 790 ampoules of the dangerous opioid weighing 5.273kg were equally seized from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, 48-year-old Chieze Ogechukwu Benjamin who was also arrested at Idumota market. Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, which is 100 times more potent than heroin is currently responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US.

Two other persons: Olayiwola Aremu Kazeem, 37, and Ogunfowora Taofik Ajibola, 35, were arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA officers with 432 grams of methamphetamine recovered from them.''

Babafemi added that at the Tincan port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 25th May intercepted 15 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 7.5kg concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325. The container declared as containing three units of used vehicles including the Toyota Highlander originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.

He said a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two suspects: Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment. A bribe of six million naira offered to the NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as an exhibit for the prosecution of the case.

Reacting to the arrest of the drug kingpins and the seizure of the dangerous illicit drugs, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the special operation unit for their resilience in targeting and taking down drug cartels and barons. He equally praised the result-oriented collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners, urging all commands and formations of the Agency to remain unrelenting in their offensive action against the drug underworld.