In what appears to be the biggest singular cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s premier anti-narcotic agency, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have busted a major warehouse in a secluded estate in Ikorodu area of Lagos where 1.8tons (1,855 kilograms) of the illicit drug worth more than Two Hundred and Seventy Eight Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($278, 250,000) equivalent of about One Hundred and Ninety Four Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy Five Million (N194, 775,000,000) Naira in street value were seized.
This was contained in a statement on Monday by the Director,Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi revealed that four barons, including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager, were arrested in what he described as well coordinated and intelligence operation which lasted for two days across different locations in Lagos State.
The kingpins are Soji Jibril, 69, an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo; Emmanuel Chukwu 65, from Ekwulobia, Anambra; Wasiu Akinade, 53, from Ibadan, Oyo; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, from Okitipupa, Ondo and Kelvin Smith, 42, a native of Kingston, Jamaica.
Babafemi further added that they are all members of an international drug syndicate that the NDLEA has been trailing since 2018.
They were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between Sunday night and Monday 19th September.
Located at 6 Olukuola crescent inside Solebo estate in Ikorodu, the warehouse was raided on Sunday 18th September.
“Preliminary investigation reveals the class A drugs were warehoused in the residential estate from where the cartel was trying to sell them to buyers in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. They were stored in 10 travel bags and 13 drums.
commending all the officers and men of the Agency involved in the extensive investigation including those of the American Drug Enforcement Administration, (US-DEA), Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) described the operation as an historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they’ll all go down if they fail to realise that the game has changed.