The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a cocaine trafficking cartel led by a couple, Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda. The couple was arrested at Ibiye, a community near Badagry, while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana. This information was revealed in a statement by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The suspects were apprehended on Saturday, May 25, by a special operations unit of the NDLEA, with support from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. At the time of their arrest, 42 blocks of Class A drugs weighing 47.5 kilograms were found in their possession. A follow-up operation at their residence in Agbara, Ogun, led to the recovery of an additional eight blocks of cocaine weighing 10 kilograms, bringing the total seized to 57.5 kilograms.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA recovered 1,100 ampoules of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, weighing 6.48 kilograms from 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi at Idumota market in Lagos Island. Another 790 ampoules of fentanyl weighing 5.273 kilograms were seized from 48-year-old Chieze Ogechukwu Benjamin at the same market. Fentanyl is significantly more potent than heroin and is a major cause of overdose deaths in the U.S.
Additionally, NDLEA officers arrested two individuals, Olayiwola Aremu and Ogunfowora Ajibola, on Lagos Island with 432 grams of methamphetamine. At the Tincan port in Lagos, 15 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of marijuana weighing 7.5 kilograms, were intercepted in a container from Canada. The drugs were hidden in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV. Two suspects, Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, were arrested in connection with the vehicle and the drug consignment. A bribe of ₦6 million offered to NDLEA officers by the sender based in Canada was recorded as evidence.
NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, commended the officers for their dedication and the successful operations. He also praised the collaboration between the NDLEA and its local and international partners, urging all units to continue their relentless efforts against drug trafficking.