NDLEA Arrests Couple in Major Cocaine Bust and Seizes Synthetic Opioids in Lagos and Ogun States

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confirmed the arrest of Bolanle and Olayinka Dauda, a couple implicated in a large-scale cocaine trafficking cartel. In two major operations conducted in Lagos and Ogun states, the agency recovered multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs.

Agency spokesperson Femi Babafemi announced on Monday that the intelligence-led raids were conducted in collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The couple was apprehended on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at Ibiye along Lagos-Badagry Expressway, while attempting to cross the border into Ghana with 42 blocks of cocaine weighing 47.5 kilograms.

A follow-up operation at their residence in Agbara, Ogun State, uncovered an additional eight blocks of cocaine weighing 10 kilograms, bringing the total seizure to 57.5 kilograms.

In a separate operation, the NDLEA's special unit seized 1,100 ampoules of fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, from 34-year-old Ikeh Ifeanyi at Idumota Market, Lagos Island. Another 790 ampoules of fentanyl weighing 5.273 kilograms were recovered from 48-year-old Chieze Benjamin at the same location. Fentanyl, known for being 100 times more potent than heroin, is a significant contributor to overdose deaths in the US.

Further raids led to the arrest of Olayiwola Kazeem, 37, and Ogunfowora Ajibola, 35, on Lagos Island, with 432 grams of methamphetamine seized from them.

At Tin Can Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 15 parcels of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, concealed in a Toyota Highlander SUV shipped from Canada. The operation led to the arrest of Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment. Additionally, a bribe of N6 million offered to NDLEA officers was recorded as evidence for prosecution.

These coordinated efforts highlight the NDLEA's ongoing commitment to combating drug trafficking and the distribution of dangerous narcotics in Nigeria.