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Major cocaine bust: NDLEA arrests female cocaine suspect linked to an international trafficking network, seizing drugs valued at ₦5bn.
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Lagos operation: 23.5kg of cocaine recovered from a Surulere apartment after months of intelligence-led surveillance.
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Nationwide crackdown: NDLEA records fresh arrests and seizures across airports, borders, and highways ahead of festivities.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a woman, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, over her alleged role in a transnational cocaine trafficking syndicate operating across Nigeria’s land borders.
The arrest followed months of intelligence-driven surveillance connected to a drug cartel dismantled earlier in Lagos and Ogun states. The syndicate, reportedly led by a married couple, was uncovered in May 2024, when NDLEA operatives recovered more than 57 kilograms of cocaine along the Lagos–Badagry corridor and from a residence in Agbara, Ogun State.
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In a statement released on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi disclosed that Simbiat was identified as a key stash keeper for the cartel after sustained monitoring. She was eventually traced to her residence in Surulere, Lagos, on December 9, 2025.
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A search of the apartment led to the recovery of 23.5 kilograms of cocaine, concealed in a suitcase inside a room reportedly used by her children. The illicit drugs were estimated to have a street value of over ₦5 billion, while investigators said the suspect admitted ownership of the consignment.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives recorded additional successes in separate operations nationwide. At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, officers arrested a businessman bound for Italy after discovering more than 1,000 pills of tramadol and tapentadol hidden in his luggage. The suspect reportedly confessed he was promised €200 to deliver the drugs.
At the Seme border, a Beninese national was apprehended while attempting to enter Nigeria with thousands of tramadol tablets. Further arrests were made in Kogi, Oyo, Osun, and Kaduna states, where NDLEA teams intercepted large quantities of cannabis, opioids, and other illicit substances during highway stop-and-search operations and forest raids.
Commending the officers for their efforts, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel nationwide to remain vigilant during the festive season and intensify operations against drug trafficking and abuse.
