The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that it is working with the United States (US) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United Kingdom (UK)’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to trace and dismantle a cartel responsible for importing one tonne of cocaine through Lagos.
The drugs, valued at over $235 million (about N338 billion), were discovered over the weekend in an empty container at the PTML Terminal of the Tincan Island Port.
According to Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, port operators raised the alarm after noticing suspicious cargo, prompting a swift response from NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies.
Preliminary field tests confirmed the substance as cocaine, and the consignment was officially handed over to the NDLEA on 11 November 2025 following coordination between NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Adewale Adeniyi.
Describing the bust as the largest single cocaine seizure ever recorded at the Tincan Port, Marwa stressed the scale and international dimension of the operation.
"The essence of collaborating with our international partners on this case is to ensure no stone is left unturned and every gap is sufficiently covered so that ultimately we can get all the masterminds of this huge consignment brought to book wherever they are located across the globe," he said.
The NDLEA chief insisted that officers from the US-DEA and UK-NCA are now actively involved in the investigation, with efforts focused on identifying the source of the shipment and the criminal network behind its importation.
He added that the partnership shows Nigeria’s commitment to tackling transnational drug trafficking through intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA has linked the case to a broader crackdown on drug syndicates, following the recent arrest of a notorious drug kingpin, Yussuf Abayomi Azeez, at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Azeez, 40, was apprehended on 6 November 2025 while attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
His arrest, after months of surveillance, led to the discovery of a major clandestine laboratory in Lekki, where synthetic cannabis, commonly known as Colorado, was being produced.
According to Babafemi, the raid at 17 Vincent Eku Street, Ogombo, Lekki, yielded 148.3 kilograms of the substance alongside precursor chemicals and industrial-scale production equipment.
He disclosed that another suspect, Abideen Kekere-Ekun, 43, was also arrested during the operation.
Investigators say Azeez, who previously fled drug charges in the UK, had been operating the facility for several months before his capture.
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