- The NDLEA dismantled two major drug syndicates, arresting several suspects, including a Chinese national, involved in cocaine trafficking operations
- Key arrests included Osuoha Christian Iheanacho, caught with 90 wraps of cocaine at Enugu airport, and Ndive Maxwell Obinna in Lagos
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled two major drug syndicates involved in the trafficking of cocaine into and out of Nigeria.
The operation led to the arrest of several suspects, including a Chinese national and Nigerian collaborators.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, confirmed the successful operations based on intelligence and surveillance.
One key arrest involved Osuoha Christian Iheanacho, a 50-year-old businessman, caught ingesting 90 wraps of cocaine weighing 2.019 kilograms.
He was intercepted on November 20 at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, during passenger screening on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.
Babafemi explained that Osuoha’s complex travel route—from Gabon to Cameroon and then Addis Ababa—was an attempt to evade detection.
However, he had been under NDLEA surveillance for three months. In his confession, Osuoha admitted resorting to drug trafficking to save his struggling phone and accessories business.
In Lagos, another NDLEA operation dismantled a cocaine distribution cartel. The head of the syndicate, 42-year-old Ndive Maxwell Obinna, was arrested along with five associates in the Ago Palace Way area of Okota.
Officials recovered 2.412 kilograms of cocaine during the raid. The arrested associates included Gloria Ifeoma Okeke, the group’s stash keeper, and four others.
Additionally, a Chinese national, 58-year-old Tianzhen Yen (alias Jackie), was apprehended in Ikeja, Lagos, for his role in a trans-border drug trafficking operation.
His arrest followed the interception of a suspect, Yakubu Emmanuel Mark, at the Gbaji checkpoint along the Badagry-Seme expressway. Mark was found with 750 grams of cocaine.
A follow-up operation traced Yen to a hotel in Ikeja, where officials discovered 4.3 grams of cocaine, methamphetamine, weighing scales, and other evidence.
Separately, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos intercepted 92 parcels of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, weighing 23.25 kilograms. The drugs were concealed in two imported vehicles—a Nissan car and a GMC bus—from Canada.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying efforts against drug trafficking and maintaining security across the country.
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