IN a series of intelligence-led operations spanning over three weeks across Lagos, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled two major drug cartels responsible for six cocaine consignments concealed in stainless steel cups, body cream, and hair gel containers.
The raids led to the arrest of five suspects and the eventual capture of the syndicate’s leader, Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode, who posed as a businessman and real estate developer.
The crackdown began on 16th September 2025, when NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.40 kilograms, hidden inside cocoa butter body cream containers.
A cargo agent was immediately arrested, and subsequent investigations revealed Ode as the mastermind.
After weeks of surveillance, the Agency secured police cooperation to apprehend the suspect, who had previously lodged a dispute report at Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Lagos.
During interrogation, Ode admitted ownership of the consignment, which he claimed to have purchased for over ₦150 million.
He described himself as a businessman and estate developer who returned from the United Kingdom in 2024, having previously lived in Austria, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Saudi Arabia.
Similarly, another syndicate’s attempts to export cocaine to the United Kingdom were thwarted by NDLEA’s MMIA Strategic Command.
The trail began on 26th September, following the seizure of 2.10kg of cocaine hidden in hair cream containers at the airport.
The arrest of a cargo agent led to the capture of Smith David Korede, a furniture maker, at his Mafoluku, Oshodi residence, where an additional 1.40kg of cocaine was recovered.
That same day, another 1.00kg cocaine consignment with a similar concealment method was intercepted, also traced to Korede.
Two further cocaine consignments bound for the UK were seized on 2nd October, with Ogunbiyi Oluseye Taiwo and Popoola Francis Olumuyiwa arrested.
The drugs, weighing 2.60kg, were hidden inside crayfish packs and stainless steel cups, as well as hair cream containers.
NDLEA officers also foiled an attempt by another gang to smuggle 6.3kg of “Loud”, a potent strain of cannabis, from Thailand into Lagos, concealed in bedsheets and hibiscus flowers.
Meanwhile, a joint NDLEA–Customs operation along the Danbatta–Daura road, Kano, on 2nd October, resulted in the arrest of Sa’adu Ali, 38, and the seizure of 290,450 pills of tramadol and pregabalin capsules.
In Lagos, a notorious dealer known as “SammyBless” (John Igbe) was arrested at Admiralty Road, Lekki, with 550 grams of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis. Three other suspects — Idris Lukman, Fuad Abdulsalam, and Mobolaji James — were apprehended in Mushin with 109kg of skunk, 20 bottles of codeine syrup, and 2kg of nitrous oxide.
At the Trade Fair Complex in Alaba, NDLEA officers seized 3,700 bottles of codeine syrup and 550,000 caplets of expired diclofenac.
Further arrests and seizures were recorded nationwide:
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Kwara State: Salisu Abubakar (25) caught with 27,700 tramadol pills.
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Kaduna State: Blessing Ovaka (50) caught with 498.5kg of skunk; Dahiru Salisu (27) with 34,180 tramadol capsules.
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Ogun State: Abubakar Audu arrested with 112kg of skunk.
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Osun State: Three suspects nabbed as 14,000kg of cannabis was destroyed on 5.6 hectares of farmland.
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Edo State: NDLEA seized 244.5kg of skunk in a Toyota Sienna at Igbanke, and destroyed 10,897kg of cannabis across four farms in Ugbodo forest.
Kogi–FCT axis: Tobi Odubote (34) and Ismail Abdurrahim (32) arrested with 28.7kg of drugs, including Loud and skunk.
Meanwhile, NDLEA Commands nationwide intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaigns in schools, religious institutions, workplaces, and markets, including sensitisation sessions at Government Day Secondary Schools in Adamawa, Katsina, and Niger States, and traders’ engagement at Ladega Market, Ikorodu, Lagos.
Commending the operations, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), reaffirmed the Agency’s resolve to destroy drug cartels at every level.
“We’ll continue to target and dismantle every identified drug cartel — from mules to dealers and their leadership.
