NDLEA nabs billionaire drug baron in Switzerland, seizes 3 hotels in Nigeria

The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected billionaire drug baron, Amadi Simon, in Switzerland, alongside two female kingpins in Nigeria.

The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Babafemi said the suspects were apprehended in close coordination with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Lagos Country Office, and law enforcement partners from Switzerland, France, and Greece.

Babafemi stated that the multi-country investigation into the drug money laundering operations culminated in the arrest of Simon in Switzerland and his co-conspirators – 34-year-old Jecinta Amara Ikechi in Anambra State, and 28-year-old Blessing Ngozi Amadi in Agbor, Delta State – on April 28, 2026.

The NDLEA spokesman revealed that the arrests followed months of intelligence and investigations across multiple jurisdictions linking Amadi to the laundering of hundreds of billions of naira in proceeds of drug and financial crimes.

He said the NDLEA, in collaboration with its international law enforcement partners, also traced multi-billion assets linked to Amadi’s transnational criminal network in Nigeria and abroad.

Babafemi disclosed that the suspect’s operations in Nigeria included a complex scheme of front and shell companies, pass-throughs and delegates, and the use of numerous traditional and cryptocurrency accounts to conceal and launder illicit funds.

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Babafemi listed properties already identified and linked to Amadi as proceeds of illicit drug funds to include Jovi Hotel at 1 Isiayei Street GRA Phase1, Asaba, Delta State; Jovi Hotel and Suites at 4 Orikeze by Deeper Life Road, Agbor, Delta State; as well as Jovi Apartment at Jamieson Court Mabushi, Abuja.

He added that several bank accounts and crypto currency addresses used by the cartel to conceal hundreds of billions of illicit funds were identified and blocked.

He quoted the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), as saying that the success of the multi-country and multi-year operations has sent a clear message that the NDLEA maintains “a zero-tolerance policy toward crimes that jeopardise the safety of the Nigerian people, the integrity of our national reputation, and the stability of our economy.”

Marwa expressed gratitude for the support received from the US-DEA to crack and dismantle Amadi’s transnational criminal network, adding that the U.S. Mission to Nigeria has continued to partner with the anti-drug agency to combat narcotics trafficking through training in intelligence, evidence collection, case management, and tactical operations as well as the provision of critical equipment.

He assured that the NDLEA will continue to expand its cooperation with the United States and other international partners.