NDLEA dismantles two cocaine cartels behind six UK-bound shipments

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has busted two major drug cartels responsible for six separate cocaine consignments destined for the United Kingdom, concealed in body cream, hair gel, and stainless cup containers.

In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the agency’s operatives carried out three weeks of intelligence-led operations across Lagos, leading to the arrest of five suspects, including the syndicate leader, Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode, who posed as a businessman and real estate developer.

Babafemi said the operation began on September 16, 2025, when NDLEA officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.40kg concealed in cocoa butter containers.

Further investigation traced the shipment to Ode, who later confessed ownership, claiming he bought the drugs for over ₦150 million.

In a similar sting, operatives also foiled five other cocaine smuggling attempts to the UK.

A second syndicate led by Smith David Korede, a furniture maker, was uncovered after NDLEA seized 2.10kg of cocaine hidden in hair cream at the Lagos airport on September 26.

Subsequent raids on Korede’s base in Oshodi yielded additional 2.40kg of cocaine meant for export. Two more suspects, Ogunbiyi Oluseye Taiwo and Popoola Francis Olumuyiwa, were later arrested with 2.60kg of cocaine concealed in crayfish and stainless cups.

In other operations nationwide, NDLEA intercepted several shipments of cannabis, tramadol, and other illicit substances. These included 6.3kg of cannabis (“Loud”) from Thailand disguised as bedsheets, 290,450 pills of tramadol and pregabalin seized in Kano, and large drug recoveries in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Kaduna, Edo, and Kogi States.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s operatives across multiple commands for their professionalism and relentless efforts in dismantling drug networks and safeguarding the nation from narcotics trafficking.