Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested six suspected members of a major drug cartel after uncovering a warehouse stocked with N6.7bn worth of illicit drugs in the Isolo area of Lagos State.
In a statement released on Wednesday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the operation led to the arrest of a drug kingpin, Onyekachi Nwanagu, alongside five members of his syndicate. The warehouse, located inside a residential estate, reportedly contained millions of tramadol pills and thousands of bottles of codeine syrup.
According to Babafemi, the raid followed credible intelligence that the cartel planned to distribute 7.2 million pills of tramadol (225mg) and 526,200 bottles of codeine syrup ahead of the Christmas season. The operation, carried out by the agency’s Special Operations Unit, took place between November 19 and 20.
“Acting on intelligence that the organisation intended to flood the market with these substances, officers conducted a coordinated operation at 23 Sunny Billa East Street, Bucknor, Isheri, Lagos,” the statement said.
Two members of the cartel — Egbo Innocent Udalor and Chukwe Emmanuel — were first intercepted on November 19 at Apple Junction, FESTAC, while transporting 300 cartons of opioids in a truck. A follow-up raid on the warehouse led to the arrest of Nwanagu and three other accomplices: Nwoye Sunday Ali, Nnacho Ogochukwu, and Oraghalia Chukwuebuka Philip.
In total, the NDLEA recovered:
- 7,272,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) valued at N3.96bn, and
- 53 million ml of codeine syrup worth N2.76bn,
bringing the total street value of the seized drugs to N6.72bn.
The substances were evacuated from the estate in 11 trucks and taken to the agency’s central exhibit complex in Lagos.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the operatives for what he described as a major blow to criminal networks “preying on Nigeria’s youth.”
“This seizure is a clear and unambiguous statement. The colossal volume of drugs recovered — which could have fuelled addiction, crime and insecurity nationwide — represents a victory for Nigerians and a reaffirmation of our mandate from President Bola Tinubu,” Marwa said.
Emphasising the agency’s renewed crackdown on drug kingpins, he added:
“The days when drug barons believed they were untouchable are over. This arrest shows that no matter how deeply concealed they think they are, the long arm of the law will find them.”
The NDLEA also disclosed that a similar intelligence-led operation on November 15 resulted in the arrest of another wanted drug baron, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, after weeks of surveillance.
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